Aaron Johnson – Sports Editor
The Southern Connecticut State University women’s soccer team improved to 6-3 this week following back-to-back home wins against Le Moyne College and Saint Anselm College, respectively. The wins were the Owls’ fourth and fifth in a row and also boosted the team’s NE-10 record to 5-2, putting them in third place in the conference behind only the College of Saint Rose and Assumption College.
“Good players that have been working together has been the key,” said Head Coach Adam Cohen. “You know we have 24 players on the roster and they all care about each other and they want to help the team and the program be successful.”
The Owls blanked Le Moyne by the score of 2-0 on goals by sophomore Caroline Staudle and freshman Victoria Buonanni. Staudle said the team wants to continue to build on the win and just keep getting better.
“We’re working together and we’re really putting together everything that we work on in practice,” she said. “And we just want to take what we’ve learned and keep building on it to improve and win the next game.”
Southern was outshot by Le Moyne 14-4, but the Owls defense was able to keep them in the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Erica Ridella anchored that defense by saving four shots during the shutout. Cohen said the Owls have been able to remain successful due to their consistent play, something he hopes continues throughout the season.
“We just want to stay consistent,” Cohen said. “It sounds simple. But we just want to get a little bit better every day.”
Freshman Betti Worth said the Owls have been recently playing with a mentality of wanting to win more than ever and it has been showing on the field.
“Well I think we were confident out there and we really just wanted it more,” she said. “We really wanted to get that win to get the ball rolling.”
The Owls took that mentality of wanting it more into their 2-1 come from behind win against St. Anselm. Trailing for the majority of the contest, the Owls tied the game in the second half when Staudle knocked in a header off of senior Bryana Poulin’s corner kick. Staudle continued her scoring frenzy this week by scoring the go-ahead goal in the 84th minute to put the game away for the Owls.
“Caroline Staudle is a real good player,” said Cohen. “She’s a natural finisher and a real beast in the box. She just wants to score any way that she can.”
Southern failed on several opportunities to take the lead in the second half before Staudle’s second goal of the night. Cohen said the team continuing to fight throughout the missed opportunities is a testament to the character of each player.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “We have a ton of character and a really good work rate of the team so we always feel like we can come back if we need to.”
Despite the wins, the Owls suffered a big loss when sophomore forward Kieran DeBiase went down with an apparent knee injury in the second half against St. Anselm. Cohen said although he has not received word on the extent of the injury, he is confident that his team will still be able to rally together and continue to push on.
“We have to wait and see,” he said. “I’m gonna have to get the diagnosis and see what’s going on and once we see how serious the injuries are we can make adjustments. The good thing is we’ll rally around each other and help support each other.”
Photo Credit: Aaron Johnson
