The women’s soccer team kicked off their home opener game under a cloudy sky. Playing against the Lynn University Fighting Knights, the Hilltoppers conceded a goal early in the second half, which was enough for the Fighting Knights to take the victory.
“I think it was two evenly matched teams, but I think that they played better than us in the beginning of the game, and we played a little bit better in the second half,” head coach Nick Cowell said. “It was a close game, it gives us a lot of things to work on for the future. These are early season games; they are never perfect.”
With an evenly split possession, the game was fairly balanced for its majority. During the first few minutes of the game, St. Edward’s pressured the Fighting Knights, moving the ball with swift passes through the sidelines, but constantly meeting Lynn’s defense. When it was Lynn’s turn to perform their attacking efforts, the Hilltoppers demonstrated their defensive skills and communication in the penalty box.
“It is a good starting point for us,” senior midfielder McKenna Keeley said.
Sophomore goalkeeper Daria Schlumbohm performed well under pressure in the first half, responding with quick and precise passes after pass backs. At the 18-minute mark, Lynn had a close attempt, bringing the ball into the goal box and drawing players from both teams into the area. Schlumbohm’s reflexes were quick, securing the ball after battling for it in the air.
Going into halftime, the teams had three goal attempts each, most of them going over their opponents goals. During the 15-minute break, the sun came out and more Hilltopper fans came out to support the team.
As soon as the second half started, the Fighting Knights moved quickly up the field, creating space through precise passes threaded between the Hilltoppers’ defensive line. Within seconds, Lynn scored a quick goal under Schlumbohm’s arms as she jumped to defend it.
“We gave their team way too much respect, we were a little timid in the first half, we tried to play a little bit too pretty,” Cowell said.
The rest of the half was dominated by the Fighting Knights, who continued to create opportunities. Overall, they had seven shot attempts in the second half alone, compared to three attempts by the Hilltoppers.
In the last 15 minutes, the Hilltoppers had an impressive run, creating promising opportunities. Senior forward Alyssa Garcia assisted freshman forward Jisell Zavaleta, but an error put the ball back into Lynn’s possession. Senior midfielder Marie Hannedouche had a shot attempt towards the end, but it immediately met Lynn’s goalkeeper’s hands and a collective sigh came from the crowd. The game ended with a Fighting Knight’s win.
“We just need to play a little bit more direct and not over complicate things,” Cowell said. “The chemistry in the team is really good, the unity in the team is really good, but the thing we need to concentrate on from here is to make sure that we have a growth mentality.”
On Sunday, Sept. 8, the women’s team played their second home game, this time against Concordia University – St. Paul, coming to a 1-1 score. Next, they play away against Western Colorado University on Sept. 15.
