Ben Martin – Sports Writer
Matt Cain – Contributor
Despite the Owls’ comeback in the second half to tie the game, it was not enough to win the game.
This is now the Owls’ third tie of the season which puts their overall record at 5-5-3 and 3-3-3 against Northeast 10 opponents.
The women’s soccer team played a tough game against Southern New Hampshire. Southern New Hampshire jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring less than 15 minutes into the game.
The Owls did not back down as they played with aggression and teamwork. The Owls got out to a slow start in the first half.
Forward Victoria Vera said, “We knew we had to come in and get stuff done. That was the main thing.”
The Owls had a slow start, but they kept a good pace, playing fast and rough. They ended up with 13 fouls in the game, 11 of them came in the second half which means the Owls came out of the locker room ready to go.
Defensive player, Britt Verstegen scored a goal 8 minutes into the second half. Her teammates went crazy as did the side lines and the fans
The score from Verstegen happened to be her first of the season which motivated the Owls even more
In the locker room coming into the second half, Vera said, “We must stay positive and don’t hang our head.” The outcome from that was Verstegen’s unassisted goal.
With the game getting very intense, the coaching staff did not back down. Head Coach Adam Cohen said, “We watch good films and watch different plays. We get a real good feel for what they do in games.” Cohen stuck with the plays and the playbook, and it paid off.
Defense was the key to the comeback. Goalkeeper Abby Allen racked up 6 saves in the game, not letting Southern New Hampshire score again. Another big part of the game was the team chemistry between forwards Julia Alicea and Kelsey Burr, who would team up with the game tying goal by Alicea assisted by Burr.
This goal brought new energy and excitement for the crowd.
Defense and midfield player, Mackenzie McCormick said, “We were all hype. Checking back into the game I knew that I had to raise up to that level of play.”
This was an important game for the Owls because this was a Northeast (NE) 10 team and with a tie it will affect the team in the standings.
Cohen said, “I give full credit to the players; we didn’t get the win, but they got themselves together and made it interesting.”
The outcome of this game did not faze the team or the coach. “We are looking forward to the next game. It’s a short turn around so we are already preparing for our next opponent,” Coach Cohen said. The game ended in a tie, but there were a lot of great outcomes.
The team was executing the best of its ability and stayed positive. “They really stayed positive; we like to focus on the positive,” said Cohen. With the game ending in a tie, there were no sour attitudes. The team is looking forward to the next opponent and cannot wait.
