READING, Pa. (Oct. 18, 2016) – The Widener University women's soccer team lost a pivotal Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth match to Alvernia by a 2-1 decision on Tuesday evening on Alvernia's Turf Field.
Alvernia (6-9, MAC Commonwealth 3-2) got on the board in the blink of an eye when Kayla McNamee evaded a Pride defender and found the back of the net just 69 seconds into the match. Widener tried to counter by unleashing seven shots in the frame, but goalkeeper Jessica Plunkett came away with several saves and the Crusader defense redirected three other attempts. The Crusaders then doubled their lead on a corner kick, as Lauren Gough one-touched a cross from sister Taylor Gough in the 36th minute of action.
Despite falling behind, the Pride continued to find opportunities and were able to capitalize shortly before the break. Freshman
Lexi Slusher (Pennsville, N.J.) sent a long pass down to senior
Karli Luker (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), who fired a shot from the left side to the opposite post to slice the deficit in half heading into the recess.
Alvernia nearly doubled their advantage again when Kayla McNamee came in all alone following a failed clear attempt by goalkeeper
Jenna Keating (Havertown, Pa.). Junior Laura Houck (Hughesville, Md.), however, made a clean tackle to disrupt the Crusader attacker and keep the visitors within striking distance. Juniors
Brooke Palmieri (Erial, N.J.) and
Kelliann Burns (Clarksboro, N.J.) also cleared away golden scoring opportunities for the Crusaders at the midway point of the stanza.
Freshman
Bella Abrams (Reading, Pa.) nearly netted the equalizer on the other end for Widener when she unleashed a laser from inside the box, but Plunkett was there to make a save at the last moment to force a corner kick. The ball was cleared out of trouble on the ensuing play, and the Crusaders were able to hang on to win in a battle between two programs looking to remain in contention for a playoff berth.
Plunkett made seven stops to earn the victory between the pipes for Alvernia, while the Pride's Keating turned away one shot in the setback.
Widener (3-9-2, MAC Commonwealth 1-4) will face a nationally-ranked opponent on the road for the third time this season when it travels west to #9 Messiah on Saturday, Oct. 22. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m.
