STRONG SECOND HALF GIVES SAINTS 3-2 WIN OVER WILKES AND LOTTO TITLE

Aug. 31: Three second half goals, two coming in the final three minutes, helped the St. Lawrence University women’s soccer team overcome a 2-0 deficit at the half to earn a 3-2 win over Wilkes University as the Saints clinched the 2008 North Country Lotto Classic title on Sandy MacAllaster Field on Sunday.

The Saints improve to 2-0-0 overall, while the Colonels lost their first game of the season, falling to a 1-1-0 mark.
Scoring for St. Lawrence was junior midfielder Becca Townsend (Stockton, NJ/North Hunterdon), sophomore back Nicky Hynes (Carleton Place, ONT/The Kent School), and first year back Kirsten Newton (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate H.S.).  Rookie midfielder Elena Rogers (Naugatuck, CT/Stratton Mountain School) had a spectacular day as she had the assist on each of the three goals.

While the Colonels only took three shots in the first half, they were all near or on goal, demonstrating to all who watched that they were going to be precise and deadly when it came to taking shots on the net.  Their first goal came when Alison Weidman played the ball to Jessica Gannon, who shot it long to the near post, and despite appearing wide, the ball hit the inside of the post and shot into the far back corner as the Colonels took an early 1-0 lead after only 8:08 had elapsed in the contest.

The home team was able to maintain possession throughout most of the half, but Wilkes was able to capitalize on scarce opportunities, as Gannon got the ball to teammate Julissa Reed who played it inside the 18 and beat her defender, while Saints’ keeper Abby van Geldern (Rowayton, CT/Brien McMahon) came out to try and stop her and dove for the ball as Reed went around her to shoot it into the open net to give Wilkes a 2-0 lead that remained through the end of the first half. 

While St. Lawrence was down as the clock winded down in the first, they looked powerful as they outshot their opponents 8-3 with an impressive five shots on goal, a statistic that insinuated they still had a lot left in them for the last 45 minutes of play.  Wilkes’ keeper Sarah Shetler had five saves in the first period to keep the home team off the scoreboard.

The Saints came out in the second and began with immediate pressure on Wilkes’ defensive end of the field and scored their first goal of the contest only 47 seconds into the period.  First year Kristina Peso (Niagara on the Lake, ONT/Holy Cross Catholic Secondary) put a lot of pressure on their backs, gaining possession in the final third and won the corner for St. Lawrence.  Rogers’s driven corner bounced around in the box and Townsend finished in traffic to get the Saints up on the scoreboard, as the score read 2-1 in favor of the Colonels.

St. Lawrence was able to keep Wilkes scoreless in the last half, only allowing the Colonels to take four shots, all on goal, with keeper van Geldern making those crucial saves for her squad.  Meanwhile, the Scarlet and Brown peppered Shetler with shots, as they tallied 12 in the last half of the contest.  The final three minutes proved to be most exciting on the field, as the Saints scored two goals, one with 2:31 to go in the contest that tied the game, while their game winning goal came with only 55 seconds left on the clock to give the Saints a 3-2 victory and the Lotto Tournament title.

 
The second and third goals were virtually identical, as they again were off Rogers’ powerful corners.  Hynes and Newton, both center backs, were able to beat everyone to the ball in the box and bury them past Shetler to give St. Lawrence the tournament win, with Newton earning the game-winner. For both Saints, it was their first collegiate goal.

Wilkes’ Shetler had five saves, while van Geldern posted four in her second game as a Saint.

 
“I am very proud of each and every member of this team,” said St. Lawrence head coach Franco Bari. “You learn something new every game played and this game exposed very strong characteristics within this team. Although we were down 2-0 at half time, I was confident that we would work hard to fight back and we did just so.”

“The team attacked and defended very hard, they remained patient and capitalized on the areas we have been working on in practice. There is no question that they truly earned the result today. Wilkes is a disciplined and organized team, and at times they put us on our heels, but in the very end, we gave it our all and capitalized on key opportunities.”

The Saints had four teammates named to the Lotto Classic’s All-Tournament Team, including Hynes, Rogers, sophomore back Katie Lacy (Blue Point, NY/St. Anthony’s), and senior midfielder and captain Lauren Sischo (Rodman, NY/South Jefferson).  Wilkes had three players named, including Reed, freshman Alyssa Kelly, and sophomore Casandra Valentin.  Also being named to the All-Tournament team was Fredonia freshman Reilly Condidorio, as well as teammates sophomore Julia LaPolla and junior Lauren Heilweil.  Clarkson added two more players to the team, as junior Brittany Monroe and senior Deana Huntley were both All-Tournament selections.

The Saints will travel to Plattsburgh, NY on Friday to face Western New England College in the Plattsburgh Tournament. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm.