The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's soccer team suffered its fourth one-goal loss of the season in a heart breaking double overtime loss to Saint Joseph's on Friday night, at University Field in Teaneck. With the victory the Hawks improve to 3-4-0 on the season, while the Knights fall to 0-7-0 overall.
The aggressive match began with a pair of shots from the Hawks. The Knights retaliated with two shots from Rashidah Sherman (Pelham Manor, NY/Pelham Memorial) (Pelham Manor, NY/Pelham Manor) and fought hard through the first half. The game reached halftime in a 0-0 tie, Saint Joseph's leading in shots, 6-2.
The second half saw six total cautions issued, proving the tenacity that both teams possessed. Sherman ripped another three shots at Hawk's keeper Christine Neal while Lisa-Marie Curti (Richmond Hill, Ontario/St. Theresa of Lisieux) (Richmond Hill, Ontario/St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic) blasted two more to give the Knights five shots on goal through the second half. With a combined twelve shots and ten fouls from the teams, the match remained scoreless as it hit the 90th minute.
The first overtime period saw two shots from each team but once again ended without the ball hitting either net. With one minute remaining in the first overtime, Sherman took a shot from the corner that Neal struggled to save. With momentum on their side, the Knights faced off for the second overtime period.
The final overtime period saw five shots from the Hawks, giving them the advance in front of the goal. In the 112th minute, Hawk's junior Jen Pfeiffer was able to net the ball after a rebounded shot from teammate Mo Hawkins. The assist was credited as Hawkins' fourth shot of the game; it was Pfeiffer's third shot.
Knight's keeper, Stephanie Tanzi (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) played a first-class game and recorded seven saves.
"It was a well fought game with vast improvement on our side," said Assistant Coach Marguerite Ferrell. "We showed more attack than we have all year and we are steps away from gelling as a team. We've taken some time to find ourselves but this game has shown the team is coming together."
The Knights take the field again on Friday, September 24th when they'll travel to Jersey City, NJ to take on the Saint Peter's Peahens.
