Crusaders impressive despite loss in season-opener to No. 5 Carnegie Mellon (Pa.)
The Capital University women's soccer team opened up the regular season Saturday on the road against nationally ranked No. 5 Carengie Mellon (Pa.).
Just one season removed from the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, the Tartans brought a tough test to which the Crusaders were ready to take on.
Fifteen minutes into the match, both teams recorded seven shots combined in the first twenty five minutes, before the Tartans struck first on a one-touch shot following a cross in the thirty fifth minute.
Twenty seconds later, the Tartans capitalized on yet another goal to increase their lead to 2-0 before the end of the half.
"We were terrific with possession in the first 25 minutes," said head coach Chris Kouns. "As you would expect from Carnegie Mellon, they came back at about the 25-minute mark and started to put us under."
Toward the end of the first half, Kouns substituted sophomore Jamie Murray into the game, which would end up being a huge payoff in the opening minute of the second half.
"Anytime you're down 2-0 at halftime to the No. 5 team in the country, you come out and really take it to them in the second half," Kouns said.
That they did as the Crusaders came out firing on all cylinders, taking back the momentum and capitalizing on the offensive side of the ball.
Just fifteen seconds into the second half of play, Murray tallied the Crusaders first goal, cutting the deficit to 2-1 on a pass down the middle from senior Livvy Hein.
Then in the fifty seventh minute, the Crusaders struck again as freshman Becca Cartmill dished out a tremendous assist to Murray as she netted her second goal to tie the match at two goals apiece.
The Crusaders continued to attack as they forced the hand of their opposition just two minutes later, as Hein connected on a shot that deflected off of the goal post.
Both teams traded shots as the Tartans attempted a shot of their own in the sixty fifth minute, but to no avail as senior Maggie Donnellan was there for the save.....
Capital Ties Penn State-Behrend in Tournament Finale
The Capital University women's soccer team tangled with yet another quality non-conference opponent Sunday, tying host Penn State-Behrend 2-2 on the second day of the Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament in Erie, Pa.
One day after nearly downing fifth-ranked Carnegie Mellon, the Crusaders (0-1-1 overall) took a 2-1 lead early in the second half and nearly held on against the Lions, who qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament a year ago.
"Today was a true test of the mental toughness and resilience of this team and they answered the call," Capital coach Chris Kouns said. "To come out less than 24 hours after an amazing effort to vie for an upset over Carnegie Mellon and have to play a conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant was a daunting task."
Senior forward Hilary Ells' first goal since the 2011 season gave Capital a 2-1 lead early in the second half. The Grandview Heights, Ohio, native, who was dealt a season-ending injury prior to the 2012 campaign, tallied unassisted just 13 seconds into the period on a shot from inside the box.......
FOR THE FULL STORIES & BOX SCORES VISIT OUR
No comments:
Post a Comment