Women's Soccer Rallies From Two Down, Outlasts USCAA Foe Briarcliffe

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's soccer team overcame a two-goal deficit and captured a 3-2 overtime victory over United States Collegiate Athletic Association rivals Briarcliffe College on Tuesday evening at Aviator Sports and Events Center.

The Lady Bears (6-2), ranked No. 12 in the latest USCAA Coaches' Poll, picked up their first win over the Bulldogs (0-4)—the teams playing to a scoreless 0-0 tie in the only other encounter two years ago.

St. Joseph's controlled the early play outshooting the Bulldogs 7-1 over the first 28 minutes before both sides played 10-on-10 with a player from each side getting sent off.

Briarcliffe got on the board first in the 32nd minute, as Crystal Dunn poked in a shot from close distance off a throw-in, but the go-ahead goal came with some controversy as the Bulldogs subbed in player without one exiting and scored the goal with an extra woman on the field. On the ensuing kickoff, the player was allowed to exit without penalty and the goal remained on the board, despite some discussion from the officials.

Five minutes later, the Bulldogs went ahead 2-0 after goalie Nicole Farinella (East Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport H.S.) picked up a ball in the box that was kicked back by a defender and gave an indirect free kick to the visitors. On the ensuing set piece, Dunn stepped the ball over to Ana Penagos who shot the ball around the Lady Bears wall and just inside the right post.

The Lady Bears countered quickly, however, and a Shannon Fahy (Breezy Point, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) header to the upper left corner two minutes later cut the deficit in half. St. Joseph's appeared to get the equalizer just before the intermission, but a Cansu Usta (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) goal was wiped out by a close offsides call.

In the second period, the Lady Bears continued to apply the pressure seeking the equalizer and had several good opportunities but could not convert. After 30 minutes of scoreless action, the Bulldogs went down another woman due to a second yellow card.

Finally, in the 77th minute of play, Usta leveled the game at 2-2, finishing a ball at the back post off a free kick from Pamela Chernyakhovsky (Brooklyn, N.Y./Leon M. Goldstein). Usta's goal was her team-leading 15th of the season, entering the game tied for 4th in the NCAA in goals.

St. Joseph's kept pressing forward with a woman advantage but couldn't find the go-ahead before the end of regulation. In the 85th minute, the Bulldogs had a great scoring opportunity with a breakaway, but Farinella came off her line and made the second of her three saves in the game to help force overtime.

Four minutes into the extra period, a Bulldog defender misplayed a ball backwards that bounced high up and over the goalkeeper who was off her line and into the net for the game-winning own goal.

St. Joseph's held a 19-6 shot advantage with 11 coming on goal and had a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.

The Lady Bears head to Morristown, N.J. on Friday, October 3 to face the College of St. Elizabeth in a non-conference tilt starting at 3 p.m.