Women’s Soccer Opens Patriot League with Victory
Raiders shut out Loyola 3-0, Loncar nets two goals
Colgate women’s soccer won their first Patriot League game of the season against Loyola Maryland this past Saturday, dominating 3-0. The victory puts the team at 3-2-2 overall heading into the gauntlet of Patriot League competition. Last season, the women’s soccer team made a statement to the rest of the Patriot League by going undefeated through their first six matches of the season (5-0-1).
The Raiders faltered against the eventual champions Navy in the semifinals of the Patriot League tournament, but their performance last season provided the energy and optimism for a strong start to the 2018-2019 season.
In their first league match this past weekend against Loyola, Colgate maintained a strong defense throughout the entirety of the game, holding the Greyhounds to zero goals in 90-minutes.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders could not be stopped. Colgate maximized their 5 shots on goal by scoring three goals in the second half of the game. The goals were scored by Leah Lewis and Martina Loncar, the latter scoring what is known in soccer as a brace–two goals in one match.
The commanding three-to-nil victory gave women’s Head Soccer Coach Kathy Brawn confidence in her team.
“Tonight was a tale of two halves. Loyola dictated much of the tempo in the early going and kept us from finding our rhythm. With some halftime adjustments,
along with pure grit and determination, we were able to refocus our efforts and come away with the win. Martina Loncar’s two finishes and Leah’s great second effort were just what we needed. It was a terrific team victory,” Brawn said.
The first half had some exciting action, with an overall 10 shots on goal and seven fouls exchanged between the teams. After 49 stalemate minutes, Colgate got on the scoreboard, with Loncar injecting a surge of energy to the team. Only three minutes later, junior defender Lewis amplified that energy with a goal of her own. Lewis’ goal was the second in her Colgate career. Five minutes after Lewis’ goal, Loncar provided another score, putting the Raiders up 3-0 with 30 minutes left to play.
Despite the rapid-fire goals, 30 minutes is a significant amount of time for the opposition to put up a fight and potentially tie the game up. Colgate’s defense, however, held strong to finish out the victory. Junior goalkeeper Kelly Chiavaro stood strong for the Raiders, saving five shots and coordinating the defense of five Loyola corner kicks in the second half.
The three-second half goals were the most in a single half for Colgate women’s soccer since 2017. Colgate has now maintained their winning streak for three straight games and looks forward to playing home against Fairfield at 6 p.m. Tuesday Night.
Contact Tori Pino and Theo Asher at [email protected] or [email protected].
