AMHERST, N.Y. – In their lone match of the week, the regionally ranked No. 7 Queens College women's soccer team faced the Daemen University Wildcats in East Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon at Royal Park.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime, the Knights mounted a second-half comeback behind goals from rookie
Mia Hanson and senior
Anna Tavantzis to earn a 2-2 draw against the Wildcats.
With the draw, Queens improves to 7-3-2 overall and 2-0-2 in ECC play.
MATCH RECAP
Queens opened the contest on the front foot, recording five shots in the opening 11 minutes while dictating the pace of play.
Senior goalkeeper
Samantha Hines-Hirsch made a timely save in the 14th minute to keep the contest scoreless. However, after an offside call halted a promising Knights attack, Daemen capitalized on the ensuing counterattack to take a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.
Queens nearly responded two minutes later after earning a corner kick, but senior
Ava Lekanides' header was denied by the Wildcats' goalkeeper in the 18th minute. Daemen doubled its lead in the 30th minute to take a 2-0 advantage.
The Knights continued to generate attacking opportunities over the final 15 minutes of the half, outshooting the Wildcats 3-1, but entered the halftime break trailing by two goals.
Queens came out aggressively after the break, as junior
Keeley Harden sent a shot over the crossbar in the 47th minute. Hines-Hirsch recorded another save in the 52nd minute to keep the deficit at two.
Looking to spark the comeback, the Knights continued to press forward as Hanson and senior
Jenna Rosenberger recorded shots. Senior
Kayla Camacho was also denied by the Daemen goalkeeper in the 61st minute.
Queens finally broke through in the 63rd minute when Hanson curled a right-footed shot from 19 yards into the upper-right corner to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Knights continued to apply pressure while keeping the Wildcats without a shot for much of the second half. Lekanides nearly leveled the contest in the 72nd minute, but her attempt was turned away by the Daemen goalkeeper.
The Wildcats recorded their second shot of the half in the 78th minute, but the attempt struck the crossbar, allowing Queens to remain within one goal.
The Knights completed the comeback in the 83rd minute. Senior
Ashley Kieblesz delivered a through ball down the left side of the field for a sprinting Tavantzis, who finished past the Daemen goalkeeper to even the score at 2-2.
Tavantzis nearly completed the comeback with a go-ahead goal in the 85th minute, but the Wildcats' goalkeeper made another timely save to preserve the tie.
After battling back from a two-goal deficit, Queens saw two promising attacking opportunities halted by offside calls in the closing minutes. The Knights ultimately secured a share of the points in ECC play, earning their first draw at Daemen in program history.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Queens outshot Daemen 20-8 and held an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal.
- Hanson recorded her second goal of the season, bringing her season point total to nine.
- Tavantzis scored her fifth goal of the season, increasing her season point total to 13.
- Kieblesz recorded her second assist of the season and extended her team-leading point total to 20.
- Hines-Hirsch recorded three saves in the contest.
- Queens earned its second draw against Daemen and its first-ever draw on the road against the Wildcats. The result snapped a five-match losing streak against Daemen and marked the Knights' first draw in the series since a 1-1 tie on Sept. 30, 2016.
NEXT MATCH
Queens opens a two-match homestand Wednesday, Oct. 14, when the Knights welcome the American International College Yellow Jackets to Flushing for a non-conference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 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)
