Box Score TEANECK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's soccer team downed Northeast Conference rival Sacred Heart, 2-1, in extra time with its third golden goal victory of the season. With the win, the Knights improve to 12-4-0 (5-1-0 NEC), while the Pioneers fall to 6-8-2 (1-3-1 NEC).
"I felt we struggled with keeping possession and Sacred Heart did a good job of squeezing the field, which put us on our heels for a good portion of the game." Head Coach Eric Teepe said, "Once we began to adjust our play I felt we started to create better chances. It shows how hard it is to win in the NEC. Now we can set our sights on another tough game at Wagner."
FDU peppered the Sacred Heart net with 26 shots over nearly 100 minutes but it was
Rachel Hoekstra (Bowmanville, Ontario/Clarington Central )'s strike 22 seconds from the end of the first period of overtime that finally broke the deadlock for the hosts. The win extends the team's new program record for victories in a season.
Hoekstra hadn't scored in over 360 minutes, dating back to her game winner against LIU Brooklyn on October 5, but ended that streak with a great opportunity from a
Carly Tice (Highland Falls, N.Y./James I. O'Neill ) feed on the counter attack. The redshirt sophomore struck with her right foot in and off the inside of the left post for her 11th goal of the season, now tied with Sacred Heart's Kristin Verrette for the NEC lead.
The visitors got things started in the sixth minute after a corner kick led to some confusion in the box before Emily Dawidczyk powered it home. The goal is the earliest that the Knights have conceded this season.
It didn't take long for the Knights to answer back when Tice, who has 13 points over her last nine matches after returning from an injury, scored a fantastic equalizer after good build-up play involving Hoekstra and sophomore
Connie Lewis (Outer Cove, Newfoundland/Gonzaga ).
Pioners senior goalkeeper Talia Schwartz tallied 10 saves, while FDU's
Felicia Burr (Bellingham, Mass./Blackstone-Millville ) made four.
Next up for the Knights is a critical road contest at Wagner on Sunday afternoon with major NEC Tournament seeding implications. The two schools currently make up the top two in the conference standings. Kickoff from Staten Island is slated for 1 p.m.
