The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's soccer team notched its first victory of the 2007 season, defeating visiting Canisius College, 2-1, Friday, Sept. 28 in Teaneck, NJ. Senior forward Tonya Hipsman (/Chester) (Chester, NY/Chester) tallied the Knights' (1-7-0) first goal of the afternoon and assisted on the game-winner.
In the 15th minute, senior defender Alex White (/Lynnfield) (Lynnfield, MA/Lynnfield) intercepted a pass and threaded a through ball to Hipsman. The senior held possession to force Canisius (2-5-1) sophomore goalkeeper Daniella Pettinari (Hilton, NY/Aquinas Institute) out of the net and at the last moment casually dropped her third goal of the season in the lower left corner.
Later in the half, FDU constructed an attack from its own half of the field, pushing the ball in the middle for midfielder Lora Lehr (Rosemere, Quebec/Villa Maria) (Rosemere, Quebec/Villa Maria/Dawson College), who then maneuvered past a pair of Golden Griffins. The sophomore widened the pitch, feeding Hipsman in stride down the right sideline, before crossing to wide open junior forward Zaida Castillo (/Bishop George AHR) (Plainfield, NJ/Bishop George AHR) who drove home the opportunity.
Canisius got on the board in the 58th minute, taking advantage of a Knights miscue in the box. Sophomore midfielder Meagan Jones (Burlington, Ontario/Notre Dame Secondary School) shifted a pass to sophomore midfielder Sylvia Kowalski (Hamilton, Ontario/Cathedral) who capitalized lower left.
“We worked hard for this one ? it's a good win,” Head Coach Renee Montana said. “After scoring early, we came out in the second-half and had one lapse, but quickly fixed our mistakes. We held the lead and kept the pressure on.”
Junior goalkeeper Rachel Derrico (/Canon McMillan) (Canonsburg, PA.Canon McMillian) recorded three saves, en route to the win. Pettinari suffered the loss, making four stops in the initial 45 minutes.
The Knights travel to Easton, PA to take on Lafayette College at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 30.
