Aug. 26, 2008
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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Using a goal from freshman Dana Moyer in the opening minutes and a goal and an assist from sophomore Mackenzie Moore, the Lafayette women's soccer team a earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw in the 2008 season-opener at Rider on Tuesday afternoon.
The Leopards established the tempo and jumped on top from the opening kickoff, immediately sending the ball into the Broncs defensive zone.
Less than two minutes into the game, senior midfielder Lauren Hinkel played the ball to the right side, finding Moore on the sideline. Moore centered the ball and found the feet of Moyer streaking down the middle of the field. The Souderton, Pa. native beat the Rider keeper from 15 yards out on the lower right half of the goal, giving Lafayette the early 1-0 advantage.
"We came out so strong in the first five minutes, the way Coach Statham wanted us to," said Moyer. "The goal was a good lift and a great play from my teammates. It's a good start and we're looking forward to the rest of the season."
Rider responded with two unassisted goals in the next 20 minutes and took a 2-1 lead into intermission.
A re-energized Leopard squad took the field in the second half, controlling the pace and cementing the ball in the Broncs' defense. Its efforts paid off in the 59th minute when Moore beat a Bronc defender down the right side, moved into the 18-yard box and curled a left-footed shot past the keeper.
The teams progressed into overtime, with Lafayette earning numerous quality chances, but unable to tally the game-winner and walking away with the draw.
Statham was encouraged by Monday afternoon's season-opening result.
"With Dana scoring after 90 seconds, obviously we couldn't have asked for a better start," Statham said.
"Then, we gave up two sloppy goals and didn't play particularly well for the rest of the half. I thought the response of the team to our halftime talk was way beyond what I expected. We attacked relentlessly and showed the character of the team and Mackenzie's goal was a reward for their hard work. I was very pleased with the second half performance."
Senior Hannah Fink started her first collegiate game in goal for the Leopards, tallying five saves on 14 Rider shots. The Lafayette defense held the Broncs' to just six shots over the final 65 minutes of play.
The Leopards will have a short turn-around time, as they'll use the rest of the week to prepare for a weekend in Newark, Del. Lafayette will take on the host Blue Hens Friday night before squaring off against Towson on Sunday afternoon.
