Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's soccer team worked their way out of a 2-0 deficit on Thursday afternoon during their season-opening contest to earn an exciting 4-3 victory over Chestnut Hill College on Ted Grant Field to begin the 2022 campaign. 

Defender Hildur Unnarsdóttir (Kópavogur, Iceland/Commercial College of Iceland) played the full 90 minutes for the 'Phins and had a hand in all four Le Moyne scoring plays. The sophomore scored the first and second goals of her Le Moyne career and delivered two other long free kicks that both resulted in a Le Moyne goal.

The Griffins of Chestnut Hill got on the board first after Lauren Sullivan made a nice spin move around a Le Moyne player then darted up the middle of the field towards goal. Sullivan sent a through pass on the ground in the direction of Virginia Perry, who took a touch then shot the ball with her right foot in the right side of the Le Moyne penalty area past Le Moyne goalie Allison Moreau (Sauquoit, N.Y./Sauquoit Valley) and into the back of the net to put CHC up 1-0.

The Griffins doubled their lead in the 36^th minute when Abby Galazka sent a pass across the Le Moyne 18-yard box to Sullivan who deposited the ball into the lower right side of the net with a one-touch left footed shot on the ground.

The Dolphins came storming back into the game at the end of the first half. With under four minutes remaining in the half, Marissa Lisikatos (Cold Spring, N.Y./Haldane) drew a foul just inside midfield. Unnarsdóttir took the free kick and sent the ball in the air towards the middle of the Caldwell penalty area. The pass went over the head of a defender that was guarding Lainey Foti (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) and bounced at the feet of Avery Maxam (Clinton, N.Y./Clinton) who was wide open after making a run to the far post. Maxam tapped the ball across the face of the goal and Aspholm was there to hit it home and cut the deficit in half.

With just over a minute remaining in the first half, Lisikatos kicked a loose ball into the right corner of Le Moyne's attacking third towards the corner flag, and Foti ran the ball down with a defender in close pursuit. Foti gathered the ball inches away from the end line and got past the Chestnut Hill player by tapping the ball between the defender's legs and running past her towards the net. The help defender stepped up and attempted to dispossess Foti, but the fifth year senior tapped the ball to her left, drew contact from the defender and earned a penalty kick for the 'Phins.

Unnarsdóttir was tasked with taking the PK for Le Moyne. The sophomore defender strode towards the spot with confidence and hit the ball hard, on the ground past the diving goalkeeper into the right side of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

With 37:23 left in the match Unnarsdóttir took another long free kick for the 'Phins. This one was taken from the Dolphins own half and soared in the air towards Le Moyne's attacking third. With two defenders on her back Foti headed the ball towards the net, into the path of Lindsey LeBlanc (Westminster, Mass./St. Bernard's), who got in behind the defense and ran into the left-center portion of the Griffins' penalty area with the ball at her feet. LeBlanc got the ball onto her right foot and hit it hard past the goalie and into the bottom left side of the net to give Le Moyne a 3-2 lead.

The Griffins tied the game at 3-3 in the 64^th minute when Madeline Jimenez scored off an assist from Rachel Apsley.

Unnarsdóttir once again took a long free kick from Le Moyne's defensive half with about eight minutes remaining in the match. The ball soared towards the Dolphins' attacking third, and once again Foti tried to flick the ball on to a Le Moyne forward making a run towards goal. This time a CHC defender was aggressive in her attempt to prevent Foti's header and fouled the Le Moyne attacker a few yards outside the penalty area.

With the ball spotted in the left-center portion of the pitch, about 25 yards from goal, Unnarsdóttir and Lisikatos examined the scene from behind the spot as the Chestnut Hill defense set up their wall. Lisikatos ran over the ball, then Unnarsdóttir ran forward and hit it with her right foot. Unnarsdóttir's shot was not hit especially hard, but it curled towards the left and was perfectly placed under the top left corner of the goal and beyond the outstretched arms of the Chestnut Hill goalkeeper.

Unnarsdóttir's second goal of the match gave Le Moyne the lead for good and helped the 'Phins start the season with a win.

The Le Moyne College women's soccer team will be back in action on August 30 when they take on Daemen University in Amherst.