Women’s soccer falls to Philadelphia rival in overtime
The Saint Joseph’s University women’s soccer team suffered a loss to Big 5 rival, the La Salle University Explorers on Sept. 24 in overtime, 3-2. This loss brings the team to a record of 6-3-1 overall, and 1-1 in conference.
The Hawks capitalized early in the game when sophomore Gabrielle Vagnozzi received a cross from sophomore Bridget Galen and found the back of the net. Just seven minutes in, the Hawks led 1-0.
St. Joe’s defense held off La Salle throughout the first half, with junior Grace Bendon at the helm making game saving plays. Head Coach Jess Mannella recognized the effort.
“In general, they [the defense] fought hard, but they made three mistakes,” Mannella said.
These game-changing mistakes occurred in the second half.
From the second half whistle, La Salle put heavy pressure on St. Joe’s defense. With this pressure came aggressive play and intervention from referees. The game ended with a total of three yellow cards given out.
Six minutes into the half, La Salle tied the game off of a deflected corner kick.
The Explorers gained momentum on a breakaway 15 minutes into the half to take the lead, 2-1. Being behind, the Hawks played somewhat frantically, but with 13 minutes left in the game, they were able to regain their confidence.
A ball up the middle found freshman Morgan Bower who tapped the ball past La Salle’s keeper to tie the game at 2-2. Bower had the opportunity to play against her two sisters on La Salle’s team, so the goal was special.
“I was really excited [when I scored],” Bower said. “My sisters and I are very competitive, so when one of them scored, I was like I have to score now to make it even. It was a way of me proving myself to them.”
St. Joe’s had their chances in the last five minutes of the game, but were not able to take advantage, bringing the Hawks into the fifth overtime period of the year. The comeback was impressive, but it would not last long.
“We went for the tie and we got it, but then we went back and played safe again,” Mannella said.
The 10 minute overtime period only lasted six minutes, as La Salle ended the game when Bower’s sister, junior Madison Bower, scored the game winning goal for the Explorers. Mannella recognizes the source of the Hawks’ breakdown in the second half.
“They’re a team [La Salle] that just pressures you and wants to battle and fight, and you have to sustain that and win those individual battles to keep the ball, and keep the ball moving and playing wide,” Mannella said. “That’s what we did well [in the first half], was connect passes better. The second half, we just lost our focus a little and stopped doing that. We didn’t keep the ball and they put more pressure on us, so that’s what happened.”
The stands were packed with St. Joe’s and La Salle fans, with the university being only a short drive away. The rivalry between the teams was apparent with post-game jeers from parents on both sides.
“It’s fun [the rivalry]; but when you lose, it’s not,” Mannella said. “We lost a conference game, and we lost a Philly game. It’s a double whammy, so it’s never fun.”
The Hawks will have the chance to redeem themselves on Sept. 28 when they take on conference opponent George Mason University at home at 7 p.m.
“We need to work on staying tight to our marks and staying within a good defensive shape, so we just want to keep that up,” Bower said. “We also need to work on our first five minutes and our last five minutes of each half, because that’s when we seem to dwindle down a little bit.”
