Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's soccer team earned a point after drawing 2-2 in a hard-fought battle against the Chicago State Cougars on Sunday evening.
Le Moyne (0-7-2)
Starters: McPheron (GK), Brown, Carro, Calle, Sylstra, Cookinham, Cigliotti, LeBlanc, Kantak, Pietrzak, Cutuli
Chicago State (2-3-4)
Starters: Gutierrez (GK), Perry, Boyer, Thor, Rocha, Klysh, Williams, Veronika, Hunter, Asciutto Kilgore, Flores
Recap:
Chicago State and Le Moyne entered today's contest following the conclusion of its non-conference schedules, as both sides hoped to start NEC play with a win.
Le Moyne started off on the front foot, as senior
Lindsey LeBlanc (Westminister, Mass./St. Bernard's) recorded the first shot of the game in the 1
st minute of play, however off target. On the ensuing possession, sophomore goalkeeper
Mikayla McPheron (Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) registered her first save of the game in the 2
nd minute on an attempt from junior forward Mari Williams headed towards the top left corner.
The Dolphins continued to keep the pressure on the back line of the Cougars, as Le Moyne recorded the next three shots, spanning from the 3
rd minute until the 8
th minute. Senior midfielder
Alaina Carro (Holland Patent, N.Y./Holland Patent/Wheeling), sophomore forward
Nicole Calle (Providence, R.I./Cumberland), and freshman defender
Finley Brown (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) all took shots that resulted in a goal kick for the Cougars.
Fifth year midfielder
Gabriella Sylstra (Little Falls, N.Y./Little Falls/Richard Bland/Old Dominion) added another shot to the 'Phins tally, untroubling the freshman goalkeeper of Chicago State. McPheron made her second save of the game in the 17
th minute of play as graduate student Saige Thor too a shot headed toward the bottom right corner.
In the 20
th minute, Le Moyne earned a corner kick which was taken by senior midfielder/defender
Jadyn Kantak (Balwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker). Her out swinging ball found the feet of junior midfielder
Giovanna Vigliotti (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee), who hit the ball first time with her right foot, going through the hands of Aviana Gutierrez, giving Le Moyne its first lead of conference action.
In the 22
nd minute, McPheron was called into action for a third time as she collected a shot headed towards the bottom right corner, taken by sophomore midfielder Gabby Flores. Just over a minute later, Chicago State found its equalizer. Junior midfielder Renee Davis collected the ball in the midfield, before taking a few touches and sliding in a through ball in behind the back line of the 'Phins, finding the feet of sophomore Maya Dixon, who took a touch before placing the ball passed McPheron to even the score at 1-1.
Le Moyne would make several changes over the following ten minutes of action, bringing on freshman defender
Bailey Hatch (Gorham, Maine/Gorham), sophomore forward
Alivia Day (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta), graduate student midfielder
Danielle Casey (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), freshman midfielder
Grace Gironda (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South), freshman forward
Kaitlyn Gilhooly (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee Comprehensive), and junior forward
Hope Adigun (Clay, N.Y./Liverpool).
Just before break, the Dolphins earned their fourth corner kick of the half. Kantak stepped up to take the corner, playing in a cross that met the head of Casey, reversing the ball into the top left corner to give Le Moyne a 2-1 lead in the 41
st minute, giving Kantak her 2
nd assist of the game. The two sides entered halftime with Le Moyne controlling most of the possession.
In the 2
nd half, Chicago State earned an early free kick on the left side of the goal. Davis was the sole player standing over the ball, taking the free kick and firing a shot over the wall and into the top left corner to bring the Cougars level at 2-2.
Chicago State earned the first and only yellow card of the game in the 56
th minute following a late challenge by senior defender Veronika Avila. The game started to open up as both sides pushed to get their go-ahead goal. In the 59
th minute, Day took a shot for the 'Phins just missing the frame of the goal, but adding another promising attack for Le Moyne.
McPheron added another save to her tally in the 65
th minute of play, this time a comfortable save as the shot taken by junior midfielder Alexis Boyer went down the middle of the goal. Two minutes later, Calle forced Gutierrez to make another save as her effort headed down the center of the goal. The ball was cleared out for a throw in, which brought freshman midfielder
Ella Lathrop (Walworth, N.Y./Ruben A. Cirillo) to make her first appearance of the game.
Chicago State created the better chances to end the game, as McPheron had to make three more saves before the final whistle. The Dolphins earned a corner in the final 20 seconds of the game, that was cleared out as time expired, as both programs left the day with a point a piece.
Notable Numbers:
What's Next:
Le Moyne returns to action on the road this Thursday as they head to Delaware State. The game was initially scheduled to kickoff at 7:00 P.M., but has since been changed to 5:00 P.M.
