Scoring early can often set the tone for the rest of the game. For the women’s soccer team, junior forward Allyson Anderson did just that in the team’s first tournament of the season this past weekend at the Blue Jay Classic, hosted by Elizabethtown College.
After the Lions’ first game on Saturday resulted in a loss against Ithaca College, the team’s win on Sunday against Stevenson College brought them back to a 1-1 record in the season so far.
“The win for us was a test to see how we would bounce back after that loss,” said senior defender Annie McCarthy. “We were without a doubt the best team there and our expectations this season are extremely high.”
Less than two minutes into the game, Anderson found an opening in the lower right corner of the net to set the score at 1-0 against Stevenson.
The Lions remained up 1-0 until the second half, where Anderson was able to find the net again — this time off of a corner kick just 1:25 into the period.
“It felt great (to score) and it definitely helped to lift the spirit of the team,” Anderson said. “It showed that together we can bounce back from a loss and get things done.”
Senior defender Brittany McGinley gave the Lions an even better lead at 3-0 midway through the half. With just 27:17 remaining, McGinley redirected a cross from Anderson, finding the open net.
With 10 minutes left in the game, sophomore forward Katie Lindacher crashed the net off of an assist from junior forward Jessica Davila, for the fourth and final goal of the game.
“Coming out like that and beating a team 4-0 definitely helped us to regain our focus,” McCarthy said.
Prior to the Lions win against the Mustangs on Sunday, the women’s team took on Ithaca in its first game of the tournament.
Lindacher scored the College’s sole goal of the game against the Bombers after a punt from sophomore goalkeeper Kendra Griffith, giving the Lions a lead of 1-0 in the first half.
Midway into the second half, the Bombers tied the Lions 1-1. It was within the final minute of the game that Ithaca was able to triumph with a 2-1 win.
According to McCarthy, the loss was hard to swallow for the Lions, but they are ready to take on the rest of the season.
The Lions move forward with the season this weekend, as they take on SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College at the Oneonta State Mayor’s Cup in Oneonta, N.Y. on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m.
