On Sept. 12, a week after having their home opener postponed at halftime due to weather, the Goshen women’s soccer team lit up the scoreboard early against visiting Roosevelt University in a 3-2 triumph for the Maple Leafs.
The fireworks started 23 minutes in as freshman Lena Charles opened the scoring with her first career goal by ripping a shot from just inside the box. Goshen would strike two more times within the next 12 minutes, with a Roosevelt own goal off a corner kick, and junior Gina Gautsche assisting on sophomore Melanie Drinkwater’s 4th goal of the season.Roosevelt couldn’t find the back of the net in the first half. Goshen’s sophomore keeper Chelsea Katchmazenski kept the Lakers off the board in the first half with four saves as the Maple Leafs entered half time with a commanding 3-0 lead and a 5-4 edge in shots.
But at halftime, the visiting Lakers put aside their first half woes. With just over a minute gone in the second half, Roosevelt’s Jamie Beniac, a junior, collected the ball and fired it past Goshen’s Molly Zook, sophomore, to get the Lakers on the board for the first time.
The Lakers continued to push hard against the Goshen defense, which remained resilient despite the onslaught that was thrown at them. But in the 76th minute, Beniac capitalized on a one-on-one with Goshen’s keeper to draw the Lakers within one. But Goshen managed to keep Roosevelt from taking advantage of the potential momentum swing and controlled the final five minutes to grab a victory in their first complete home game this season.
Roosevelt ended the game with a 12-11 lead in shots, while Goshen had the edge on corner kicks at 5-2. The Lakers failed to take advantage of Goshen, who out fouled Roosevelt 9-5.
The win evens Goshen’s record at 3-3 and dropped the Lakers to 2-4 for their season.
The Maple Leafs will host St. Francis on Thursday at 4 p.m. in an attempt to finish the game postponed earlier in the season.
