The AU women’s soccer team traveled to local rival George Washington (3-3) Tuesday afternoon for their last away game before a three game homestand. AU was not able to hold on to an early lead, despite scoring first.
The Eagles asserted their presence early in the 15th minute as Friederike Engel scored her first goal of the season off a corner kick from Brooke Sheppard. However, the Colonials scored the equalizer in the 36th minute with a goal from Ashley Starks that just missed AU goalkeeper Lindsey Farthing.
The second half sealed the deal for the Colonials as Michelle Aueron took a free kick in the 63rd minute and Kristen Slack flicked it in. The Eagles continued to look for the equalizer and almost found the chance in the 82nd minute when Mikaila Weaver got a shot on goal from a feed in front of the GW goal by MacKenzie Kerrigan. However, Lindsey Rowe, Colonial goalkeeper, was able to make a quality save and keep her team in the lead.
The match was evenly paced as the Eagles had the advantage in corner kicks 4-3 and the Colonials had a slim 12-11 advantage in shots on goal. Furthermore, Farthing recorded six outstanding saves.
"I thought we were in control during the first 25 minutes of the match, but once again we lost our way," Head Coach Dave Bucciero told AU Athletics. "Our inconsistent play is hurting us and this is something we are going to have to fix if we want to have any type of success in the Patriot League."
The AU Eagles have been progressing forward as the last few games have showed the steady progress that is taking place on the field. Continuing with the recent trend, the Eagles were beat by a marginal score line. The Eagles have now lost five games in a row by a margin of just one point.
The AU Eagles open Patriot League play on Oct. 2 at Bucknell (1-6). Success in the Patriot League will continue to rely on the Eagles' ability to capitalize on their scoring chances and close out games completely. The tougher games that have been scheduled thus far will only help the Eagles better themselves and gain invaluable experience for their future Patriot League games.
With this last game at George Washington, the AU women’s soccer team (0-8) has ended its long string of consecutive away games and will be hosting Radford on Friday the 17th.
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