Newburgh, NY - The Mount Women's Soccer team welcomed the Manhattanville College Valiants to their home field this evening in their first Skyline conference match of the season. Under a clear night sky adorned with a crescent moon, the Knights geared up for a challenging match.
In the face of early attacks from the Valiants, the Mount initially leaned heavily on their defense. The back line for the Knights,
Maria Baldwin (Patchogue, N.Y., Patchogue-Medford),
Alexa Centrone (North Babylon, N.Y., North Babylon),
Faith Welsh (Goshen, N.Y., Monroe Woodbury), and
Kaitlin Hansen (Port Jervis, N.Y., Minisink Valley) had a tough task as the Valiants look to spread them out and play long balls down the side. Centrone and Hansen did well to track down the through balls, often times finding themselves in a foot race with the Manhattanville attack. In the sixth minute, a shot from the end line somehow eluded MSMC's goalkeeper, putting the home team at a one-goal deficit.
Christina Kakavas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y., John Jay), with her fiery passion and field wisdom, rallied her team to tighten their defense. With a player of her caliber leading the charge, the Knights emerged from the ensuing kickoff as a transformed unit. They seized control of the midfield, dominating the possession battle and finishing the first half in command of the game, despite trailing 0-1 at halftime.
The second half of the game, the Knights showed their spirit and unwillingness to settle. Putting constant pressure on the Manhattanville back line, Coach Lyn's team gradually shifted the game's momentum in their favor.
It was deep into the second half, with only minutes remaining, when the Valiants committed a foul. The ensuing free kick was nothing short of perfection. The ball landed in the box and shuffled around until it fell on the foot of
Isabella Williams (Kingston, N.Y., Kingston). The freshman midfielder seized the moment and notched her first collegiate career goal, securing the equalizer. The final score remained tied at 1-1 resulting in the Knights earning a hard-fought point in the conference.
They will look to carry this momentum into their next game as they prepare for their upcoming clash on Saturday, a journey to Yonkers to face off against the Gryphons of Sarah Lawrence.
