Sept. 24, 2016 Box Score
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Lafayette women's soccer team played in a hard-fought Patriot League battle on Saturday night in West Point, N.Y., falling to Army by a 2-1 margin.
The loss was the first in the league campaign for the Maroon and White, dropping their overall record to 3-3-3 and 0-1-1 in conference action. Senior Julia Wescott scored on a penalty kick for the lone goal for the Leopards on the night as Army's win propelled them to 3-7 on the year and 1-1 in league action.
"We started slowly, but played our way back into the game very well," head coach Mick Statham said. "The Patriot League has very fine margins and we needed to be better with our chances when we got them. It was a good game overall, though, and we never gave up."
Shots were fairly even with the home side edging out Lafayette, 9-8, while corners were deadlocked at six apiece. Army goalkeeper Jordan Cassalia was a stalwart between the pipes, making five saves on the night.
Lafayette began the game on the front foot, earning two corners within the first six minutes as a header from Brannigan was saved by Cassalia 6:23 into the game.
Unfortunately, that momentum swung as Army took the lead about 10 minutes later. The Black Knights' Clare Shea and Madison McGinn linked up to find Samantha Sullinger in the middle of the 18-yard box, who sent a shot past Lafayette goalkeeper Danielle Sedillo for the 1-0 advantage.
The score remained at 1-0 through the halftime break before the Leopards equalized early in the second stanza. An Army handball in the box in the 48th minute set up Wescott for the penalty, finishing in the left side to make it 1-1.
The tie scoreline was short-lived, though, as Army came right back about five minutes later and took the lead again at 2-1. Brianna Nicholas' long pass connected with a running Sam Gottlieb, who finished down the middle for the eventual winning tally.
Senior Kaelin King was able to get three shots on target on the night, leading the offense for the Leopards. Classmate Melissa Lynskey and sophomore Katie Brannigan also finished with one shot on goal, respectively.
Lafayette is back in action on Wednesday, traveling to Bucknell for a 7 p.m. contest.
