After back-to-back home wins, AU Women's Soccer traveled to Worcester, Mass., to play its first conference match against Holy Cross. The Eagles played tough to win by a score of 1-0.
"We didn't play well today," head coach Michael Brady said. "But we did what we needed to do. I give them a lot of credit for battling out on the field."
AU sophomore Christina Gonzalez scored in the 14th minute from a crossing ball kicked by freshman Irene Karistinos to put the Eagles on top. This was Gonzalez's first goal of the season and the sixth goal of her career, and Karistinos' got the first assist of her career.
The star for the Eagles was goalie Allison Doyle. Doyle had a rough season last year, playing in six games and going 0-4, but she has made big strides this year, including being named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week. She made seven saves, including an amazing diving block toward the right post and winning a one-on-one challenge.
"Allison had a career day today," Brady said. "She had great decision making throughout the game and showed a lot of maturity."
This was Doyle's first shutout of her career. She now has a record of 7-1-1.
The Eagles, who went 5-1-0 last season in conference, have given themselves a good start to the conference season. "It was a really important win," Brady said. "We pretty much needed to win this game on the road."
This is AU's second straight win against Holy Cross, after beating them at home last year.
The Women's Soccer team plays another important non-conference game at crosstown rival George Washington on Tuesday, last year beat the Eagles 3-1.
