The Saint Xavier University women’s soccer team played three tough non-conference road games over this past week, going 1-2.
The Cougars remained competitive and played hard in all three games, including the two losses. They started play on the road against Grace College, located in Winona Lake, Ind., and the two squads played each other tough.
The two teams were deadlocked at 0-0 when halftime rolled around with neither team able to score a goal.
After halftime, in minute 47, Grace College forward Emily Hickerson sent one past SXU freshmen goalkeeper Alex Perry to give her team the lead.
The Cougars would respond in minute 58, when sophomore forward Lexi Cozzi put one in the back of the net to tie the game up at 1-1.
A few minutes later, though, forward Mallory Rondeau would score the game-winning goal for Grace College, giving them the 2-1 victory.
Perry turned in another impressive performance, making 16 saves against Grace College.
The next game for the Cougars was another road game in Indiana, this time against the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne.
The team started off the game strong with a goal from junior midfielder Danielle Inzinga in the seventh minute to give SXU the 1-0 lead. She put it past USF goalkeeper Sammy Scaringelli by aiming at the lower left corner of the goal.
The University of Saint Francis wasted no time responding by putting one in the back of the net six minutes later. Freshmen forward Nicole Stephan scored off a rebound to tie the game at 1.
The Cougars took back the lead late in the first half when freshmen forward Mariana Hoerr scored on a header after a brilliant cross from senior midfielder Molly Sheehan.
The team played great defense in the second half and put a stranglehold on the game in the minute 88, when junior midfielder Cassie Pullia intercepted a pass on a clear attempt to score goal number three for the Cougars.
The final score was 3-1, earning the team their second victory of the season. Perry finished the game with 10 saves for SXU.
The team’s final opponent in this mini stretch of road games was Siena Heights University. The Cougars came ready to play again, scoring the first goal for the second consecutive game, this time in minute No. 22. Cozzi received a nice pass from Hoerr to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
The Saints would tie it up later in the first half with a goal from junior forward Alexis Donnelly in minute 37 of action.
The game ended up being tied at halftime, but the Saints came out looking to dominate the second half and they definitely succeeded. In the minute 63 of play, Siena Heights took a 2-1 lead off of another goal from Donnelly and an assist from Mikayla Ferer.
The scoring continued for the Saints when the tandem of Donnelly and Ferer struck again, this time with Donnelly assisting Ferer.
Junior midfielder Paige Frey finished the five-minute scoring blitz for the Saints with a goal off a penalty shot in minute 67, making it 4-1.
Cozzi would continue her impressive effort with an unassisted goal in minute No. 69, but it wasn’t enough as the Cougars fell 4-2 to USF, putting their record at 2-3-1 for the season so far. Perry had 10 saves for the team giving her four games of double digit saves for the year.
Come and watch the game the Cougars play their next home at Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field on September 25th.
Damone Griffin
Copy Editor