WILMINGTON, N.C. – Senior Elma Kolenovic provided a game-winning goal with less than 10 minutes to play in helping the Fairleigh Dickinson women's soccer team defeat Kent State, 2-1, in the Courtyard by Marriott UNCW Soccer Invitational.
 
Kolenovic first assisted on an equalizing score by sophomore Viktorija Miseljic in the first half before finding the back of the net herself with a quick shot in the 81st minute for her first goal of the season. The Knights (2-4) held strong on defense the rest of the way to defeat a solid Golden Flashes (2-3-1) squad that was picked as the Mid-American Conference preseason favorite.
 
"Overall, we adjusted some things and we came out strong from the beginning," said head coach Eric Teepe after the game. "We pushed forward much better, looked more aggressive, trying to find passes between the lines and find more shots and more opportunities than in the past games. It was an unfortunate PK that was given up, but we responded well and came back, never gave up, and provided ourselves chances before eventually scoring the winning goal. All those things provided a nice team win."
 
The Knights pressed in the first 11 minutes to earn three corner kick opportunities, but the set pieces did not produce any shots on goal. The Golden Flashes gained their first corner a minute later, but the Knights defended the set piece well and negated any chance at goal.
 
It was not until junior Stasi Torchia aimed a shot wide left of the net in the 18th minute that either team had a clean look at goal.
 
The defensive stalemate continued through the 30' mark until a penalty kick was awarded to Kent State after a foul in the box. Sophomore Vital Kats converted the penalty shot, giving Kent State a 1-0 lead.
 
FDU did not take long to strike back on offense. Junior Jackson Bennett started the counter with a nice play to Kolenovic. The senior then crossed the ball to sophomore Viktorija Miseljic in front of the net, and Miseljic fired a quick one-timer past the keeper for her first goal of the season, equalizing the score at 1-1.
 
"We built it up from the back," said Teepe on scoring the first goal. "Jackson made a nice play off the dribble and found Elma on the wing. Elma did a good job engaging and beating the defender in front of her and found Viktorija for the one touch. It was a very nice team goal."
 
The Knights continued to press on the attack, with junior Samantha Roff ripping two shots in the closing minutes of the half, but the Golden Flash keeper made two saves and kept the score at 1-1 heading into halftime.
 
Junior goalkeeper Amanda Fitzgerald turned away two Kent State go-ahead chances early in the second half, with the second save coming off a corner kick feed. On the counter, Kolenovic let loose a shot that sailed high of the net, and two more FDU shots in the 63rd minute missed the target as well.
 
Fitzgerald stopped another shot off a Kent State corner kick in the 67th minute, and the Knights defense continued to hold down the opposing attack.
 
Looking for another chance to take the lead, the Knights turned up the pressure with 10 minutes remaining. Freshman Lea Egner controlled the ball along the end line after a defended corner kick, and she crossed in front of the goal to Kolenovic. The senior one-touched the ball in for the go-ahead score with 9:05 remaining.
 
"We were getting a bunch of set pieces, pushing into the back line of their defense," Teepe said. "We found Lea with the ball, and she was stopped at first but kept going and served it in. We put a little pressure on them to defend, having four people go up in the box for the ball, and Elma came through. We didn't give them many opportunities after that, and it was a good solid team win."
 
Fitzgerald finished the match with four saves, stopping the last Golden Flash opportunity in the 86th minute on her way to earning her 16th career goalie victory.
 
Both Kolenovic and Miseljic were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts in the Knights' victory.
 
For Kolenovic, the goal was the 19th of her career, moving her into a tie for fourth in FDU history in goals scored. Her assist was her 11th of her career, good for sixth most in Knights history, and she now has 49 career points.
 
Miseljic recorded her seventh career goal after tallying six scores last season as a freshman.
 
The Knights return home to face Hofstra in their next match, battling the Pride at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 6, at University Stadium.