ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – Hitting the road for the first time on Sunday, the Queens College women's soccer team matched up against the Chargers of Dominican University of New York at O'Brien Field.
After a scoreless first half, it would be a second half surge that saw four goals scored, but in the end the Knights would have to settle for a 2-2 tie.
With the tie, the Knights move to 0-1-1 after the first week of play.
MATCH RECAP
It would be all Queens in the first half as the Knights dominated possession from the first whistle and kept the Chargers pinned in their own half.
With the Knights dictating possession and pressure, they would launch 13 unanswered shots.
The trio of rookie midfielder/forward
Avery Shreffler (Westlake, OH), redshirt-sophomore defender
Ava Lekanides (Garden City, N.Y.), and junior forward
Carly Koprowski (Wantagh, N.Y.) each registered a dangerous shot on goal, but were unfortunate to find the back of the net as Queens went into halftime with the game still scoreless.
Four minutes into the second half, a Chargers counterattack would see them take a 1-0 lead, putting Queens on the back foot.
However, the Knights wasted no time leveling the score, tying the match 1-1 in the 50
th minute. As senior midfielder
Adriana Melgar (Queens, N.Y.) found Koprowski at the top of the box, the Wantagh native would find rookie midfielder
Mia Goicochea (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) in the perfect position to hammer home the tying goal off the crossbar.
Having tied the match, the Knights remained relentless in their pursuit of the game-winner, steadily increasing their tempo. Over the next 20 minutes, Queens outshot Dominican 7-2.
The Knights broke through in the 71
st minute as junior
Alyssa Illiano (Valley Stream, N.Y.) delivered a through ball to rookie midfielder
Ana Impellizzeri (Medford, N.Y.) to bang home the goal through the left side of the net for a 2-1 lead.
Just as Queens took a 2-1 lead, Dominican taking advantage of a Knights' foul in their attacking half would tie the match off a cross in the 73
rd minute.
Despite maintaining possession and outshooting the Chargers 6-1 over the final 17 minutes of play, the Knights would have to settle for a 2-2 to conclude the first week of play.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Goicochea and Impellizzeri recorded their first career goals
- Koprowski, Melgar, and Illiano recorded their first assist of the year.
- The Knights outshot the Chargers 28-5 and 9-2 shots on goal.
NEXT MATCH
The Knights open a big two-match week on Wednesday, September 10, as they welcome defending East Regional champions Franklin Pierce University Ravens to Knights Field. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), Instagram (qcknightsny), women's soccer (qcwsoccer)
