POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (September 16, 2009) – Despite a solid effort from freshman goalkeeper Teegan Kelly and the Ducks' backline, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team dropped to 0-7-0 on the season, following a heartbreaking, 1-0, last second loss to Vassar College. The Brewers moved to 3-2-0 on the year on the strength of an Allison McManis (Oakland, Calif.) marker with just four seconds remaining in regulation.
Locked in a defensive struggle for most of the first half, Vassar generated the game's first scoring chance in the seventh minute when sophomore Jordan Crook's (Federal Way, Wash.) shot veered wide. The Brewers would again threaten to break the deadlock in the 18th minute when senior Anna Robinson (Toronto, Canada) sent a shot, off a pass from freshman Keiko Kurita (Scotts Valley, Calif.), off the crossbar.
The Ducks would counter with a scoring chance of their own in the 37th minute when three Stevens forwards converged on a loose ball in the Vassar box. Brewers' freshman goalkeeper Ali Higgins (Dallas, Texas) would stop a shot off the foot of Stevens' junior Katria Misilo but was unable to maintain possession. The Ducks would continue to apply pressure on a failed Vassar clearance, but a persistent Higgins would eventually corral the loose ball to preserve the scoreless tie at the half.
Robinson would continue to generate scoring chances for Vassar early in the second, first recording a shot just three minutes into the second stanza which prompted a Kelly save and then again in the 58th minute when she sent a shot just wide.
The Brewers would finally break through at 89:56 when a McManis shot from 20 yards out deflected off a Stevens defender and found its way to the back of the Ducks' net.
Vassar finished with a 19-13 shot advantage, while Stevens held a slight, 4-3, edge in corner-kicks. Kelly finished with a match-high nine saves in the loss, while her Vassar counterparts Higgins and freshman Lexi Hutton (Basking Ridge, N.J.) combined for eight saves. Misilo, senior Kate Stewart, and sophomore Sarah Lehman each recorded a team-high three shots, with Stewart and Misilo each placing two shots on goal.
Stevens will open up conference play when it faces Empire 8 rival No. 9 Ithaca on September 19.
