MADISON, N.J. - Millersville women's soccer rallied to tie the match in its season opener but ultimately fell to St. Michael's, 3–2.
St. Michael's controlled much of the first half, out-shooting Millersville 11–2. Goalkeeper
Emma Moss started for the Marauders and recorded four saves to keep the match scoreless through the opening half.
The second half provided all the scoring, as St. Michael's broke through four minutes after the restart. The Knights maintained control of the tempo until
Aubrey Strohecker netted Millersville's first goal of the season in the 73rd minute, assisted by
Livia Messenger, to even the score at 1–1.
Millersville continued to apply pressure with attempts from
Maia Iannuzzi and
Lia Francis. Seven minutes later, Strohecker scored her second goal of the match off an assist from
Nikki Tonello, giving the Marauders a 2–1 advantage with 10 minutes remaining.
The Knights quickly responded, scoring three minutes later to even the match at 2–2. They maintained their momentum and netted the go-ahead goal with five minutes remaining to secure a 3–2 advantage. Millersville was unable to find an equalizer, resulting in a 3–2 defeat in the season opener.
Millersville returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 4, at Pucillo Field for its conference opener against East Stroudsburg at 1 p.m.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Strohecker opens the season with two goals
- Messenger and Tonello each recorded an assist
- St. Michael's outshot Millersville 21-8
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH MATT PROCOPIO
- How can you build on today's game as you prepare for Saturday's conference opener? "We adapted well to some changes we made. It was a strong first test for us. We learned a little bit more about ourselves today, which we will look to grow from as we head straight into conference play. We need to recover quickly from this in order to be ready for East Stroudsburg.".
