Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne women's soccer team drew 2-2 with NEC foe Mercyhurst on Sunday afternoon at Ted Grant Field. Grace Gironda netted her first collegiate goal and Emma Sousa added a fifth to her season total.
Le Moyne (2-10-1, 1-2-1 NEC)
Starters: McPheron (GK), Brown, Hatch, Day, McMahon, Cookinham, Vigliotti, Sousa, Pietrzak, Cutuli, Eggertsdottir
Stonehill (2-10-1, 1-3-1 NEC)
Starters: Lika (GK), Kerr, Cowburn, Popowski, Klein, Bosnjak, Bullock, Hammermeister, Fiorillo, Taylor, Rudy
Recap:
Le Moyne gave up an early goal when Mercyhurst's Maddi Cowburn picked off a pass and scored on the first shot of the game. The Dolphins responded, racking up three shots in five minutes, two of which forced saves from Lakers' goalkeeper Adri Lika. Junior Le Moyne goalkeeper Mikayla McPheron (Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) made one save at 34:54 to keep the scoreline at 1-0 going into the half.
Fifteen minutes into the second, freshman forward Emma Sousa (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) cut to the middle and found senior midfielder Giovanna Vigliotti (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee), who chipped the ball over the Lakers' defense, forcing Lika to come out of her net and allowing sophomore midfielder Grace Gironda (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) to tap it in for her first collegiate goal. Sousa then doubled the lead less than four minutes later, kissing the ball off the left post from just inside the edge of the 18-yard box. Sophomore back Finley Brown (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) had the assist, capitalizing off a Mercyhurst turnover and utilizing her speed. McPheron made two saves to hold the Dolphins' lead, but a well-hit strike from the Lakers' Jenna Popowski tied the game once more in the 79th minute. The final score was 2-2 as Le Moyne picked up its fourth point in the NEC.
'Phin Highlights:
Sousa led the Le Moyne offense with six shots, a goal and an assist. Gironda had a goal and two shots. Redshirt junior defender Logan Cookinham also had two shots. McPheron made four saves in the contest.
What's Next:
The Dolphins are back at Ted Grant Field next Thursday, Oct. 8, taking on LIU at 4 p.m.
