Women’s soccer falls in two close games
August 28, 2018
The Bison women’s soccer team had a tough weekend as they traveled to West Long Branch, N.J. on Aug. 24 to play Monmouth University and then to Charlottesville, Va. on Aug. 26 to play the University of Virginia. After hard-fought battles, the team lost 1-0 in both games.
Starting off the weekend, the Bison took on the Hawks, who hold five Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season titles and entered the season coming off two consecutive MAAC Tournament crowns.
“We knew going into the weekend that it was going to be a battle, so we were going to have to rely on our work ethic more than anything,” Alex Catanzarite ’21 said.
In the first half, the Bison played on the defensive end as the Hawks took control of the game with eight shots, leading to a goal in the 26th minute. In the second half, the Bison stepped up and gained some control, outshooting the Hawks nine to seven, including two shots by Catanzarite and Claire Mensi ’22 that both hit the crossbar.
Kate Henesey ’22 put pressure on the Hawks’ goalkeeper with four shots. Bison goalkeeper Theresa Adu-Attobrah ’20 had 10 saves, but even with the strong second half, the Monmouth Hawks held the Bison off to a 0-1 result.
The Orange and Blue then played another challenging game on Aug. 26 against No. 7 Virginia, a Sweet Sixteen contestant from last year. The Cavaliers won the game by a single goal in the final minute. Adu-Attobrah had a career-high 11 saves against 28 Cavaliers shots. While the Cavaliers held possession of the ball for the majority of the game, the Bison played strong defense and kept the game close.
“I’m proud of how our team played on Sunday. While it might not of been the score we hoped for, we worked really hard and played as a unit,” captain Maddie Dano ’19 said. “Games like these make us better and will prepare us for the rest of the season.”
The Bison play their next game at home on Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at Emmitt Field against Towson. They hope that all their preparation and strong play will carry over to add a win to their 1-3 record on the season.
