When the Colonials walked away from the field with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Liberty Friday, they also walked away from a trend that has followed them throughout their last few matches – a struggle to put the ball in the net.
GW (3-6) outshot its opponent, but was unable to capitalize on those chances, falling in a one-goal decision. Head coach Tanya Vogel was frank when talking about her team’s performance, directly addressing the need for greater accuracy in the box.
“When we take 19 shots like we did today and take eight corner kicks and they take none, we have to get some in the back of the net,” Vogel said.
After allowing an early goal in the fifth minute, the Colonials controlled the tempo of play for the rest of the first half. Junior Samie Cloutier and sophomore Melanie Keer kept the Liberty offense away from the goal, allowing junior Adriana Moya and senior Sierra Smidinger the opportunity to put pressure on the Flames’ goalkeeper.
Smidinger netted an equalizing goal in the 15th minute, capitalizing on a corner kick from junior Molly Bruh. The goal was Smidinger’s fourth of the season, and her second of the season that was off of Bruh’s corner kick. But despite Smidinger’s success in finding the back of the net, the Colonials were unable to capitalize on their other scoring opportunities in the first half.
“We had moments, but we weren’t consistent,” Smidinger said. “We just need to focus on staying consistent and play our game.”
GW again struggled to find the back of the net after halftime. Liberty drilled in a goal from the wing in the 54th minute, putting itself up 2-1. The Colonials battled back, but were unable to answer the Flames’ go-ahead goal.
The Colonials outshot Liberty 11 to four in the second, but struggled with accuracy, landing only five shots on goal. Unable to score, GW fell in a one-goal decision.
The Colonials have just one more game before Atlantic 10 play begins, set to travel to American Monday to take on the District-rival Eagles. Vogel views the upcoming game as more than just another out-of-conference match.
“We are going to approach Monday’s game against American as if it is an actual A-10 game,” Vogel said. “There will be a very hungry GW team playing American on Monday. It is our last dress rehearsal before A-10 play and we want to come out strong.”
