It was a winning weekend full of first-time goals for the AU women's soccer team. Sophomore Kelsey Brasher's first career hat trick led the Eagles to a season opening 4-1 win on Friday against the Manhattan College Jaspers. First season goals by senior Irene Karistinos and sophomore Mary Riegler led the team to a 3-0 defeat over the University of Richmond Spiders on Sunday as well.
Friday's game began with Brasher's first career goal at the 30-minute mark off of an assist from freshman Hannah Radley. Five minutes later, forward Krysten Hodge trailed with a goal assisted by defender Annette Scott.
Ten minutes into the second half, the Jaspers gained one goal back. The Eagles tried hard to play on the offensive for the rest of the game and prevailed. With 80 minutes on the clock, Brasher scored again. At the 86-minute mark, Brasher scored for a third time, resulting in a hat trick for the Maryland native midfielder.
Coach Michael Brady said he was proud of his team; however, he said Friday's game wasn't "a complete performance," and that the team was "off a little." Nevertheless, from the looks of the scoreboard on Sunday, no spectator imagined that the Eagles were playing an "off" game.
The AU Eagles followed its win on Friday with a victory against the University of Richmond on Sunday. The first goal scored was 38 minutes into play by Karistinos. This was Karistinos' first goal of the season. Soon after, with an assist by Brooke Sheppard, Riegler scored her first goal of the season off of her head.
The focus of the second half was mostly on maintaining the Eagles' 2-0 lead and protecting the goal. The team's defensive playing paid off as it was able to not only hold the Spiders from scoring but also gain another goal, scored by junior Hodge.
Although the AU Eagles were picked in a preseason poll to finish this season in fifth, voted on by the Patriot League's eight head coaches and directors, the team is off to a great start and proving the poll wrong. Following the team's 2-0 record during the exhibition games against the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Old Dominion, the Eagles are already 2-0 in its regular season. Brady said the Eagles can "compete with anyone" and are ready to prove it in the following games.
The AU Eagles play its first away game Friday at 3:30 p.m. against the Niagara University Purple Eagles in New York.
