Big Second Half Powers Women's Soccer Past Mercy, 5-2
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Oct. 26, 2013) - Tied 2-2 at halftime, the LIU Post women's soccer team exploded for three goals in the latter stanza to defeat Mercy, 5-2, in a crucial East Coast Conference tilt Saturday at Robert Blitz Field in Brookville, N.Y. With the win, the Pioneers are now 12-3, and 5-2 in ECC play.
LIU Post drew first blood in the contest nearly 13 minutes in. Sophomore forward Susanne Vistnes (Randaberg, Norway), who finished with five points (2 G, 1 A) on the afternoon, played a pass from the right sideline into the box. Freshman forward/midfielder Julia Backman (Morsil, Sweden) then headed it past Mercy sophomore netminder Nicole Augustine (Kingston, N.Y.) to give the green and gold a 1-0 lead.
Just 2:16 later, a costly Pioneer error tied things up for the Mavericks (10-3-1, 5-2 ECC), who held a 5-1 edge in corner kicks. As sophomore starting keeper Katelyn Phillips (Littleton, Colo.) sent the ball out of harms way, junior midfielder MacKenzie Cochrane (Mission Viejo, Calif.) intercepted the clear, and lobbed a shot over the LIU Post goalie, tying things up at 1-apiece.
The hosts would re-gain their one-goal cushion in the 33rd minute, when sophomore midfielder Hanna Westerling (Alvadalen, Sweden) scored on a breakaway, via a feed from Backman. However, the visitors would answer before the break, off a Jackie Karras (Nesconset, N.Y.) tally, to make it a 2-2 game at the intermission.
Eight-plus minutes into the second half, LIU Post grabbed their second lead of the match, and never looked back. Vistnes settled a pass from Westerling, and fired a shot inside the right post for the goal. Nearly 11 minutes after that, Westerling (2 G, 2 A) pitched in some much-needed insurance, when she curved a 15-yard attempt into the mesh, to widen the green and gold's advantage to 4-2.
Vistnes and Westerling teamed up one last time in the 77th minute to cap off the scoring. A give-and-go between the two players led to an 18-yard snipe by Vistnes that struck off the crossbar, and bounced over the goalline.
In net, Augustine and junior Stephanie Casey (Hopewell Junction, N.J.) combined for two saves for Mercy. Freshman Hreffie Agnarsdottir (Reykjavik, Iceland), who earned her first collegiate win, and Phillips did not make a stop in 90 minutes of work for LIU Post.
Head Coach Mark Dawson and the Pioneers are back in action Wednesday (Oct. 30), when they wrap up the home portion of their 2013 schedule against Molloy. The opening kick is scheduled for 3 p.m.
