RIVERDALE, N.Y. — The Sacred Heart University women's soccer team grabbed its first point in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play, battling to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Manhattan University on Saturday afternoon.
Having played just three days prior, the Pioneers found themselves on their heels in the early going as Manhattan took advantage of a week's rest, controlling a majority of the possession through the first quarter hour. Though the Pios were able to hold the Jaspers at bay, the hosts found one clear chance in the first 10 minutes as a Sami Derrico cross nearly snuck inside the near corner of the goal but was denied by the elbow of the frame to keep the match scoreless.
The tides turned, however, as the Pios were able to capitalize on their strong defensive posture and find some room on the counterattack. SHU then created a majority of the final chances of the half including the best one of the afternoon in the final five minutes of the first half.
Looking to break open the scoring, SHU found a rhythm playing "one-touch" football to find some opportunities in the final third. Off a set piece in a dangerous position, an errant ball found the foot of
Emily Hood sent a pass to
Rylee McGee inside the penalty area that the first year forward funneled past the Manhattan goalkeeper but not past the post as the score remained level into the halftime break.
Early in the second half, SHU looked poised to find the breakthrough, but once again the post proved unforgiving to the Pioneers. Following a quick restart off a throw in,
Shea Kelleher had a sneaky, near-post chance that beat the Manhattan keeper but clanked off the post. Moments later, a deflection inside the penalty area found the foot of
Grace O'Hara, but the graduate forward could not tuck home the chance.
Having dealt with the early pressure, Manhattan found the first goal of the afternoon off a set piece. With a corner kick, the Jaspers sent a long ball in that found the head of Maddie Feller whose shot beat starting goalkeeper
Lauren Calabro for the 1-0 lead in the 57
th minute.
However, the Pioneers quickly wanted the equalizer and worked to find it just over five minutes later. Having had her first chance of the afternoon go awry, Kelleher was able to tuck home a darting header from a
Lindsay McShea cross on the counterattack to bring the Pios level, 1-1.
With both sides looking for what could be the game-winning goal, possession was at a premium with both squads needing skill along the flanks to find opportunities in the waning stages of the match. With a corner kick at the death, the hosts had the last chance of the afternoon as a cross was whipped into the SHU penalty area with under 10 seconds left. The Jaspers were able to capitalize after the Pios failed to deal with the initial ball as a shot from the Jaspers made its way through the mess in front but was deflected by friendly fire a yard in front of goal as the clock ran out to solidify a 1-1 draw at Gaelic Park.
Top Performers:
Of Note:
- Lauren Calabro made her second-consecutive start in Saturday's match after earning her first collegiate start in the match against Yale making three saves against the Jaspers
- Kelleher's second-half goal is her second goal of the season and first since scoring the lone goal in SHU's match against La Salle to open the season.
- McShea's assist on Kelleher's goal is her first assist and point of the season and is the sixth of her career. The assist is also her first points since a two-assist outing against Le Moyne last season.
Up Next:
The Pioneers are back in action a week from today, hosting Mount St. Mary's as part of a SHU Soccer Doubleheader with the men's soccer team on Saturday, September 28. Kickoff from Park Ave Field is slated for 3:30 p.m. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.
