HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 18, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team had its four-game winning streak snapped by Nazareth College, 1-0, in an Empire 8 Conference contest on Saturday as part of Homecoming on Castle Point.
With the loss, Stevens is now 9-5, 4-2 on the season, while Nazareth improves to 10-3-1, 5-1.
The Golden Flyers jumped right out to a 1-0 just 88 seconds into the match on a goal from Briana Vibbard. After a short cross from right-to-left by Danielle Wilkin, Michaela Soules put a foot on the service and directly sent it to Vibbard who was waiting on the doorstep for an open goal which led to the eventual game-winner.
Stevens put together numerous scoring chances throughout the 90-minute contest, but the first true opportunity came with 21:28 remaining in the first half on a shot from senior
Ann Heine (Sammamish, Wash.). Heine crossed over her defender to create space and ripped a left-footed shot that sailed just over the crossbar.
Just 1:30 later, sophomore
Raba Nassif (Northvale, N.J.) missed an open chance after a through ball from freshman
Sandi Komar (San Diego, Calif.) cleared the backline of Nazareth. Nassif then sent the attempt left of frame after Golden Flyers' goalkeeper Allison Dobles came out to contest the shot.
In the second half, Nassif came close to knotting the match up on two different occasions, but hit the crossbar on the first shot and found the left post on her other attempt.
Heine also came up unlucky in the 73rd minute on a strike that looked destined to find the back of the net, only to watch Dobles make a leaping save that then ricocheted down off the crossbar and kicked away by the Nazareth defense.
Over the final 17 minutes of play, Stevens took four shots – two were saved and the other two went high of frame.
Dobles stopped three shots for Nazareth in 72:09 of action in the win. She came out of the contest with an injury and was replaced by Mackenzie Dunphy who made a pair of saves.
Freshman
Lindsey Mahnken (Bayville, N.J.) took the loss for the Ducks and stopped two shots.
Stevens outshot Nazareth, 13-5, in the match, but the Golden Flyers were awarded seven corners to just one of the Ducks. Fouls were even at 8-8.
The Ducks head to No. 19 The College of New Jersey on October 22 for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference game. Stevens returns home for its E8 finale against St. John Fisher College on the 25th at 2 p.m. and closes out the home slate against Western Connecticut State University on the 29th. Regular season action comes to an end at Hartwick College on November 1.
