Twice over the weekend, the GW women’s soccer team fell behind 1-0 to their Atlantic 10 opponents. In each game, the team held on and fought back, tying Saint Joseph’s 1-1 on Friday and beating Temple 2-1 on Sunday.
Freshman forward Adriana Moya said being at a goal disadvantage gives the Colonials (4-4-4, 1-1-2 A-10) extra incentive to give everything they have.
“I think for this team that just pumps us up even more. We want to get back and score,” she said.
During Friday’s match-up, the Colonials fell behind early. Seven minutes into the game, a Hawks corner kick led to confusion in the box and GW ended up heading the ball into its own net. Hawks forward Maggie Lupinski was credited with the goal.
“The first half, we stunk. Period,” head coach Tanya Vogel said of Friday’s draw. “The second half and overtime I thought we battled.”
GW came into the second half prepared to battle and anxious to score. Less than a minute into the half, junior midfielder Ashley Starks chipped the ball into the net over Saint Joseph’s goalkeeper Christine Neal.
The Colonials continued to fight throughout the second half, buckling down on defense and creating offensive chances. After 90 minutes of play, the score remained tied and the game was sent into overtime. After two more 10-minute periods, the teams remained even and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Coming into Sunday’s game, GW was looking to continue to control the game as they had at the end of Friday’s game. Throughout the first half, the Colonials created opportunities to score by keeping the ball upfield and applying pressure to the Temple defenders.
After a scoreless first half, Temple got a chance to get on the board with a corner kick 13 minutes into the second half. The Owls crossed the ball into the box. Then forward Allicia Yurkovic sent the ball into the back of the far side of the net, giving Temple a 1-0 lead.
GW picked up the pace of their game, playing with a sense of urgency. Ten minutes later, the Colonials capitalized on a corner kick of their own. Senior Misa Eiritz sent the ball into the box, where junior Jillian Morgan hit the ball into the air. Moya then kicked the ball past Temple’s goalkeeper Kara Williams, scoring her first college goal and tying the game for GW.
Moya said the experience of scoring her first college goal was a bit surreal.
“I wanted the ball,” she said. “It happened to land there and I got it. It was awesome. I didn’t even know what to do for my celebration so I just went and hugged Michelle (Aueron).”
Vogel said she was pleased to see Moya contribute to the game.
“It was good to see Adriana score a goal for us today,” she said. “That was big for us. We needed a little something out of her today.”
The Colonials used the momentum of Moya’s goal to their advantage, regaining control of the game. Two minutes later, when Williams came out to save the ball for the Owls, Starks charged into the box. The pressure caused Williams to miss the ball and Starks to send it into the empty net, giving GW the lead and the eventual win. The Colonials improved to 4-4-4 overall and picked up their first A-10 win.
Vogel said the Colonials were ready to win and showed that on the field.
“The GW women’s soccer team is done losing and they decided that Friday night,” Vogel said. “They’re over it. This was a team win today.”
The Colonials return to Mount Vernon field on Saturday, Oct. 10 against Richmond. The game is set for a 2 p.m. start.
