No. 14 Stevens Stuns No. 3 Messiah
HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 3, 2016) – The No. 14 Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team stunned No. 3 Messiah College 2-1 Saturday night.
The Ducks moved to 2-0-0 on the season, while Messiah fell to 1-1-0. The Falcons, who entered the game undefeated in their last 50 games, last were knocked off by Ithaca College in November 2013. The last regular season defeat came in 2012 at the hands of Emory.
"We really played our hearts out, trying not to let anything get passed us," said junior
Katie Goncalves. "We pushed through to the last minute and never gave up, that was huge for us tonight."
Messiah put pressure on Stevens early, firing the first three shots. The best chance came off a corner attempt and shot by Brooke Firestone, but junior
Lindsey Mahnken snared the shot. Sophomore
Zisi Komar rifled a shot that glanced off the crossbar in the 11th minute. The Ducks defense did their part, sacrificing bodies to block several shot attempts.
The Ducks got a little bit of luck for their first goal of the game. Senior
Raba Nassif crossed the ball into the 18 yard box and the ball was headed into the back of the frame for an own goal in the 22nd minute. Nearly five minutes later, senior
Gabby Mathelier who blasted a shot from just inside the 18 and beat the goalie for her third marker of the short season. Heading into the break, the visitors held a slight 9-8 edge in shots.
Messiah peppered the Ducks with shot after shot in the second stanza, but Mahnken and the Stevens backline thwarted every attempt leading up to the 81st minute. The Falcons struck for a goal as Firestone took a feed from Sammy Galvonatch to cut the hosts lead in half. The defense allowed just two shots the remainder of the game, and as the seconds ticked off the Ducks fans erupted.
The Falcons had 12 shots in the second stanza, and held an 8-1 edge in corner kicks through the game. Nassif led the way with four shots, while Komar had three. Mahnken made seven saves for her second win of the year.
Firestone fired a game-high six shots, while goalkeeper Sara Yunez made five saves.
"Tonight was a true test for us," sophomore
Whitney Brown said. "I feel that we worked really well together and everything just clicked."
The Ducks will welcome Mount St. Mary College to Hoboken for a 7 p.m. tilt on Tuesday.