Twice As Nice; Women’s Soccer Tops Wilmington And Merrimack

Down by two goals, the women’s soccer team dug deep and pulled out a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over Wilmington University on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Pioneer Soccer Park.

The Pioneers were dealt two blows in the first half and needed to re-group; halftime came at the perfect time. The Pioneers limited the damage in the first half and were down 2-0 at the horn. Less than four minutes into the latter 45-minute session, the Pioneers cut the deficit in half when senior midfielder Sarah McGarry went top shelf to get the Pioneers on the board. Just minutes later, the Pioneers scored again to pull even. This time, sophomore back Alice Schonfeldt fired a shot that had a date with the net, evening the score.

At the end of regulation, the Pioneers had a few golden opportunities turned away, but seemed to have momentum going their way to start the extra session. Freshman midfielder Medina Mulic completed the Pioneer comeback with a score less than three minutes into overtime.

Although the Pioneers trailed early, they managed to outshoot their opponents, 21-7, for the match. Sophomore goalie Hillevi Eklow made four stops, earning another win for the Pioneers, her fourth of the season.

The Pioneers returned to the pitch on Saturday, Sept. 24, against Merrimack College and handed the Warriors their first shutout loss of the season and their first since 2014. The team’s 3-0 victory also improved its record to 5-2-1.

The Pioneers controlled the pace of play and dictated the action on the field, and as a result, they owned a significant advantage in scoring opportunities. By law of averages, the Pioneers 14-3 advantage in shots on goal would have to eventually pay off, and it did in the 38th minute when freshman forward Julia Duffy netted the go-ahead goal.

Two eightieth-minute goals from sophomore forward Isabella Fuduli and sophomore forward Andrea Huntzinger gave the Pioneers a decent sized cushion and sent the Pioneers on their way to yet another victory.

The Pioneers have now won three straight games and will look to continue that streak when they travel to the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday, Oct. 5, to play Philadelphia University. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.