Andrew Tantillo – Special to the Southern News
Despite sporadic down pouring and slippery field conditions, the SCSU Women’s Soccer team played with enough consistency and stability to beat Pace University, 2-0, at Jess Dow Field on Wednesday night, extending its unbeaten streak to eight straight matches.
The Owls got off to a quick start by jumping on the board 14-minutes into the game with a 35-yard goal by LeAnn DiSisto. DiSisto, a senior forward, said her second goal of the season, and her career, had much to do with being in the right place at the right time.
“I touched it by the defender and it deflected off my shin guard,” she said as she giggled and packed up her equipment. “I kept following it and somehow it chipped over the goalie’s head and went in.”
DiSisto’s goal marked the beginning of a 73-minute scoring drought for, both, the Owls and the Setters. Pace (6-7, 4-5 in NE-10) did not register a shot on goal during the first half. However, they narrowly missed scoring at the match’s 31-minute mark when Ashley Kenny, sophomore midfielder, sailed a shot just north of the crossbar.
SCSU Head Coach, Adam Cohen, said the rain and slick playing conditions forced both teams to adjust their game plans and adapt to the elements.
“The elements can definitely play a part in the frantic nature of the game,” Cohen said. “And we really didn’t know what to expect as far as the weather goes. So you saw how physical and defensive-minded the game got once the sky’s opened up.”
Although no yellow or red cards were issued, the two teams combined for a total of 19 fouls: 10 on Southern, nine on Pace. The rain and those fouls, coupled with a lack of scoring opportunities and a narrow one-goal lead, caused Cohen some concern, he said.
“As a coach, you’re never quite comfortable with a one goal lead because things can change so quickly at anytime, especially when the rain can cause a quick slip that completely affects the outcome of the game,” Cohen said. “I might have been holding my breath for a little bit there.”
It wasn’t until the game’s 87th minute—when freshman forward, Victoria Buonanni, received a cross-field pass from Victoria Conde, freshman midfielder and Madrid, Spain native, and dribbled past a couple of Pace defenders to break free and score the contest final goal—that Cohen would be able to breath a sigh of relief.
“I saw an open lane for Vicki (Conde) to pass me the ball and she set me up beautifully with that assist,” Buonanni said. “Going up 2-0 made the final three minutes a little more comfortable.”
The victory also added to an already extraordinary week for Erica Ridella, sophomore goalkeeper, who was named Corvais ECAC Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Week and SCSU’s Female Athlete of the Week. Ridella had four saves in the contest for her fifth shutout of the season, and her third in a row. She has not allowed a goal in her last 373 minutes of play.
“Having a top, consistent goalkeeper is extremely important if you want to win games, especially in this conference. Without Erica defending between the crossbars, we wouldn’t be having the success that we are,” coach Cohen said.
Ridella, Warwick Valley High School’s all-time leader in saves and the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Most Valuable Player in 2012, said although she’s honored by the flurry of awards, the credit should go to her teammates who play in front of her.
“My defense has been helping me out tremendously,” Ridella said as she pointed to some of her teammates exiting the field. “They’re stepping up to the ball and denying the shots that would be coming my way normally.”
Cohen said while he doesn’t disagree that the defense has played an enormous roll in the team’s recent success, Ridella’s play and hard work have warranted the notoriety she’s received as of late.
“Our back four are outstanding, probably the best defensive unit in the conference,” he said. “But Erica’s earned all of the attention she’s getting. She just came off an injury and has busted her tail with hard work and getting out there [to practice] early.”
Earlier in the week, the Owls (8-3-1, 7-2-1 in NE-10) jumped to No. 7 on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America East Regional Rankings, making it the third straight week the team has been ranked in the poll. Cohen said, while it’s nice to be nationally recognized, there are too many games left in the season for the team to get ahead of itself.
“It’s just about consistency,” he said. “Everybody says it, but it really is all about taking it one game at a time. What we’ve done to this point has been great, but our next game is always the only one that matters to us.”
Cohen said that toughness, teamwork, and the fact that his players truly want to win for each other are among the reasons why his team has a legitimate shot at attaining its goal as conference champions.
“This is probably the best group that we’ve had here in terms of really having one goal, one vision, and being united in trying to reach it,” he said. “I’ve been really impressed with them in that way.”
Photo Credit: Derek Torrellas
