TEANECK, N.J. – Despite a late offensive push, the Fairleigh Dickinson women's soccer team played to an even 0-0 draw with Army West Point Sunday afternoon at University Stadium.
The Black Knights (3-1-4), who have now played to three consecutive scoreless ties, outshot the home team 11-9, but it was the Knights (2-5-1) that took four of the five chances to score in the two overtime periods. Neither team, however, found the back of the net to provide the golden goal.
"I think what you saw were two teams that had spent a lot of energy in their last games, and it was a slow, stale paced game, and I don't think we really started playing until the overtime," said head coach
Eric Teepe after the match. "We have to find the commitment from the get-go because we're going to be in conference pretty soon, and we have to play better on Sundays."
The back line of senior
Julia Shea, junior
Samantha Roff and freshmen
Noam Kedem and
Christa Waterman denied the Black Knights from getting a clean look at goal in front of junior goalkeeper
Amanda Fitzgerald through most of the first half. Army took the only shot on goal with 25 seconds remaining in the period, with Fitzgerald coming up with the save.
The intensity of the match picked up as the second half progressed. Each team took a shot within the first seven minutes of the half, with junior
Jackson Bennett rising up for a header for FDU that an Army defender kicked away to prevent from going in the net off a corner kick by freshman
Madelyn Robbins.
Fitzgerald made saves on each of Army's looks on target, and junior
Stasi Torchia fired a shot from just beyond the box that the Black Knight goalkeeper saved to keep it scoreless through regulation.
Fairleigh Dickinson controlled play in the first overtime period, with freshman
Isabelle Udovc connecting on a header in the 92nd minute that was on target. Army goalkeeper Sydney Cassalia stopped the shot short of the net though.
Udovc was involved in both of FDU's opportunites in the second overtime as well. Her corner kick in the 102nd minute created chances for Shea and freshman
Paula Ruess. Shea's line drive shot was saved by the Cassalia, and Ruess's rebound opportunity went wide right of the net.
Continuing to look for the golden goal, Shea collected a loose ball off a denied cross in the 105th minute, passing through the defense to find Udovc. With no one but the keeper to beat, Udovc ripped a shot from the top of the box, but Cassalia stopped the shot to keep the game tied.
"I think defensively, we were pretty sound," Teepe said. "I don't think we gave up any great chances, and we had a couple that we should have buried, but at the same time, we just didn't do enough to deserve any more than a tie, and we have to find a way to fight through ourselves a little more."
Fitzgerald finished the match with three saves in all 110 minutes of action. Roff, Bennett and Shea also played the entire 110 minutes for the Knights.
Fairleigh Dickinson returns to action Thursday, September 13, when the team travels to Philadelphia to take on La Salle at 7 p.m.
