Category: Women

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s soccer team went 1-1 this past weekend to earn second place in the St. Mary’s Tournament in Moraga, Calif. It has been 13 years since the Orange and Blue have traveled to the West Coast and they started out with a 3-1 victory against CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 14. Two nights later, the Bison had trouble finding the net, as they fell 2-0 to Saint Mary’s (Calif.). Chelsey Garkowski ’14, Kayla Yee ’13 and Corinne Collins ’13 earned spots on the All-Tournament Team.

Traveling to the West Coast had no negative effects on the Orange and Blue, as Yee dished an assist to Garkowski leading to the first goal of the match in the fifth minute. CSU Bakersfield outshot the Bison 7-4 in the first half, but were unable to score on Sandita McDermott ’13 who had six saves in the game.

“It was great to play in the scenery we did on Friday,” forward Cassie Denger ’15 said. “The temperature was great and the sun was shining; it was a beautiful day to play.”

The Roadrunners continued their aggressive play, reeling off another 15 shots in the second half, but the Bison made their opportunities count. Liz Dwornik ’14 delivered a cross pass that led to a shot by Denger, which gave the Orange and Blue a 2-0 lead. Five minutes later, Jenna Tryon ’13 launched a long pass to Garkowski, leading to her second goal of the game and a team-leading four shots. The Roadrunners scored in the 80th minute to prevent the shutout.

Twenty-four players saw action in this game, and goalie Jessie Ashworth ’16 made her collegiate debut with two saves in 12 minutes of action.

“It was great to get a win on the West Coast,” Denger said. “By using all 24 players it really helped us keep the level of play high in the heat. We always had fresh legs on the field and it gave us a great advantage in the second half. Winning feels great no matter what coast you’re on.”

Although McDermott had a season-high 10 saves against Saint Mary’s, the Bison offense couldn’t get going, losing 2-0 to the host team. This is only the second time this season that the Orange and Blue were held scoreless.

The Gaels were able to jump out to an early lead with a goal in the 16th minute. Both teams battled for position to score, but it stayed 1-0 at halftime.

The Bison were determined to even the score with five more shot attempts in the second half. It would be to no avail, as the Gaels stopped their offensive flow. Saint Mary’s scored their second goal in the 88th minute to put the game away.

The Orange and Blue have their final game before Patriot League play tonight at 7 p.m. at home against Canisius.

“Going into conference play, we have the highest expectations. We have seen it all in the pre-conference season and hope to carry those experiences forward to help us have success in the Patriot League,” McDermott said.

Ajan Caneda
Copy Editor

The women’s soccer team had a solid week, picking up wins against Mount St. Mary’s and UMBC. Goal keeper Sandita McDermott ’13 held down the box and got her fourth shutout of the season. Unfortunately, the Orange and Blue’s win streak ended at four with a loss at Saint Francis (Pa.).

Behind a scoring blitz from Evelyn Nicinski ’15 and Courtney Nelson ’15, the Bison defeated UMBC 3-0 at home on Sept. 7. Three minutes into the game, Hannah Bonotto ’15 nailed a free kick into the box that found Chelsey Garkowski ’14, who headed the ball to Nicinski, which allowed her to score her first goal of the season. Garkowski  also battled for a 50-50 ball that rebounded to Nelson for another Bison goal.

Nelson, who made the transition from defender to forward this year, leads the team with four goals this season.

“It has actually been a pretty big mental transition; my mind has always been focused on stopping people from scoring,” Nelson said. “However, I’ve always been one of those people during practice that likes to shoot and get in on the offense.”

Corey Tipton ’14 capped off the victory with a goal off an assist from Brigit Falcon ’15 and Corinne Collins ’13 in the 69th minute. McDermott broke the Bison record for longest scoreless streak and had six saves for the game.

“I think the quick offense really helped us to seal the deal,” McDermott said. “Having so many great individual performances really has helped this team to keep the ‘team’ mentality moving forward.”

After a three-game shutout streak, the Orange and Blue were met with a potent offense by Saint Francis that defeated the Bison 5-1 on Sept. 9 at Loretto. It was a tough game, as the Red Flash had 22 shot attempts. Saint Francis scored two goals in the 17th and 43rd minute that gave them the 2-0 lead at halftime.

The barrage continued early in the second half with Saint Francis nailing three goals in less than three minutes to put the game away. Danielle Piccirilli ’16 scored the lone goal for the Bison in the 72nd minute.

Two nights later, the Orange and Blue bounced back from the loss to capture a 2-0 victory against Mount St. Mary’s at home.

It was a balanced game for the Bison, as they attempted 17 shots and held the Mountaineers to seven shots. Kayla Yee ’13 scored a goal off of a penalty kick at the three minute mark to get the Bison off to an early lead. Taryn Boucher ’13 stayed aggressive on the offensive end with five shot attempts and scored in the 76th minute to ice the game.

The Bison will travel to Moraga, Calif. to compete in the St. Mary’s Tournament this weekend.

“Each game is a new challenge, and there are only a number of things that we can do. We try to focus on fighting for each other, staying positive and keeping calm,” Nelson said.