HOBOKEN, N.J. (September 12, 2021) – Sophomore
Nina Burden scored her first collegiate goal in the 38th minute as No. 14 Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer played to a 1-1 draw with No. 25 Swarthmore College Sunday in a non-conference match at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. The contest was played as part of the 17th Annual Engineering Cup.
First-year
Zoe Hindman and sophomore
Dana Perry combined for three saves for the Ducks, who moved to 1-2-1 on the year. Veronica Gibbons had the lone marker for Swarthmore, who moved to 1-1-1.
After senior
Fiona Matthews and junior
Olivia Panko combined to force a turnover in the Garnet's attacking third, senior Gianni Nitti transitioned the Ducks from defense to offense. The Fort Lee, New Jersey native sent a beautiful ball from just beyond the edge of Swarthmore's attacking third. The well-placed ball gingerly bounded into the Ducks' offensive third, where Burden had gained a step on her defender. Burden calmly collected the ball right at the edge of the 18 and chipped the ball just over Swarthmore's Chantal Rivas, who came way off her line to try and disrupt the scoring chance.
Although the teams played to a draw, the teams did advance to a shootout in an effort to determine final placement in the four-team tournament. All five of the Ducks' shooters converted their PK attempt with sophomore
Emily Leiby's marker getting recorded as the eventual winning tally. Graduate student
Madison Starr's conversion would clinch the result for the Ducks. Perry swatted Ally Scheve's third-round attempt for the only miss by either side.
In the championship match, Rachel Robichaud scored in the 39th minute as No. 9 The College of New Jersey netted four goals for the second consecutive match to defeat New York University 4-0 to clinch the Engineering Cup for the first time. Robichaud was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player for her efforts, while teammate Jess Hall was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player after keying the Lions' efforts in posting back-to-back clean sheets in the tournament.
Turning Point
- Swarthmore's Allie Zitelli created a turnover in the Ducks' defensive third and danced her way to the edge of the 18.
- Zitelli turned and fired a left-footed shot from the center of the box and towards the far post.
- Hindman, who was making her first career start, dove to her right and snagged the ball out of the air to keep the match scoreless. Hindman also converted a penalty kick in the shootout.
Inside the Numbers
- Stevens held a 16-10 edge in shots, including an 8-4 margin in shots on-target. Junior Catalina Abusada had three shots to lead both teams.
- The Ducks held a 4-3 margin in corner kicks. The teams combined for just one corner in overtime.
- Sophomore Gab Aloe drew her first collegiate start.
- Each team committed 11 fouls.
- Rivas finished with two saves. Lillian Keller came on in the second half and made five saves.
From the Sidelines - Head Coach Jeff Parker
- "Thought it was a big step forward for our group today. I felt we were able to go through many of our progressions more efficiently and are just starting to realize our capabilities. I am really enjoying being around this group and looking forward to seeing what they're able to do together moving forward."
Up Next
- No. 14 Women's Soccer continues its longest homestand since 2005 on Sept. 18 with a non-conference match against the University of Scranton.
- The Ducks are 1-0-1 all-time against the Royals, although the teams have met just once since 2004.
- Links for live stats and video are available on StevensDucks.com.
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