WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (October 19, 2019) – Junior
Emily Damrell headed home sophomore
Fiona Matthews' cross in the 89th minute as No. 20/20 Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer rallied to defeat King's College (Pa.) 2-1 Saturday in a MAC Freedom fixture at McCarthy Stadium.
Senior
Julia Panko began the winning play, firing off a shot attempt from the edge of the 18-yard box. A King's defender blocked the try and the ball traveled down the pitch, where Mathews prevented it from going out of bounds, tracking it down ahead of the King's defense. The New Milford, New Jersey native collected the ball and deftly sent a cross right into the six-yard box, where Damrell headed it into the net to the right of Monarch goalkeeper Erica Blackburn, who had slid to the near-side post as Matthews directed the cross. The tally was the first of the season for the Scituate, Massachusetts native and her second career game-winner.
Panko began Stevens' comeback in the 80th minute. Trailing 1-nil, the senior received a touch pass from classmate
Gabby Saade and drove a stinging blast from just outside the 18. Blackburn made the initial save, however, the King's goalkeeper was unable to hold on to the ball and it dribbled into the net for Panko's sixth marker of the season.
Sophomore
Izzy DiDario made four saves to secure the victory for Stevens, who improved to 9-3-1 on the year and a perfect 4-0 in MAC Freedom play. The victory was the team's seventh straight. Dating back to the program's tenure in the Empire 8 Conference, Stevens is 40-1-3 against conference opponents (regular and postseason matches), including victories in each of the last 16 fixtures.
Emily Harrington scored in the 22nd minute and Blackburn made 10 saves, as King's dropped to 6-8-1 and 1-3. The Monarchs have dropped two straight. Harrington's goal snapped Stevens' scoreless streak at 479:33.
Tonight's match marked the first meeting between the programs.
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens outshot King's 30-7, including an 18-2 margin in the second half and a 12-5 edge in shots on net. The Ducks have held an opponent to single-digit shot attempts on four occasions in 2019, including each of the last three matches.
- Senior Gaaby Saade fired off a season-high eight shots, including a match-high five shots on frame. The shot total was two away from her career high, set in 2017.
- Matthews' assist brought her season total to three, surpassing her total from her freshman campaign.
- Damrell became the seventh player to record a game-winning goal this season.
- Stevens has earned four wins this season on goals scored either in overtime or the final five minutes of regulation.
Unsung Heroes
- The team's play in the midfield kept the pressure on King's throughout the second half. Paired with a staunch backline, the Ducks held King's two leading scores to a combined two shots.
From the Sidelines (Head Coach Jeff Parker)
- "Gritty result for the team tonight. Made things difficult for ourselves in the first half with a series of actions that put us down a goal on the road in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Full credit to King's for making it hard on us. Felt like we did a much better job of possessing the ball as the match went along and that allowed us to find a way back into the game. We have a few specific areas in which we need to improve before facing DeSales Wednesday and we will aim to focus on them in our preparation in the next few days."
Up Next
- No. 20/20 Women's Soccer welcomes DeSales University to the DeBaun Athletic Complex on Oct. 23.
- It will be the first meeting between the programs since Oct. 16, 2001. The all-time series is tied with two wins apiece. Two of the four meetings have gone to overtime.
- Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.
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