Old Post: UB Women's Soccer defeats Mercy

Stanley’s Penalty Kick Sinks Mercy 1-0

BY CHRIS HOGAN

            After coming off a 6-1 blowout win on the road last week against Post University, the University of Bridgeport women’s soccer team returned home Saturday night to face a tough opponent in the Mercy College Mavericks. Entering the game, both teams were in the middle of the pack of the East Coast Conference standings, but at the end of the night the Purple Knights would pull through.

            In the previous four meetings, UB had won three out the past four, but Mercy was the team who ended the 2009 season string of the 11 wins with recording a lose until last October 17, when the Mavericks propelled in double overtime with a 3-2 win. That being said, UB showed its revenge.

            The only goal of the game came in the first half when junior midfielder Katie Stanley was awarded a penalty kick after a hand touch was called against Mercy goalie Stephanie DiLegge. Stanley powered a rifle shot into the top left hand corner of the net to give the Purple Knights a 1-0 lead. It was her fourth goal of the season. Shots were a wide spread for UB in the first half having an 11-2 advantage.

            “So far this has been her [Stanley] best start of the season and we just hope stays injury free. She is on fire right now.” UB Women’s Soccer Head Coach Magnus Nilerud said.

            For most of the second half, the Mavericks were aggressive and showed a lot of fight in them. The half entailed physicality all over the place. Freshman goalie Julia Hansson who ended up making four saves in the contest, made some critical stops that prevented the game to be tied up. Multiple close range shots from Mercy’s Jamie Sabel and Caitlin Wilson came close to evening the score but Hansson was strong to her feet in the end.

            “This was a really an entire team effort and it was a very tough game,” senior defender Rakel Hinriksdottir said. “It was a fight the entire time, so I am really proud we got the win.”

            Nilerud, points out that one of the strongest aspects of the game was the bench contribution and stressing effort was heavily brought. He credits sophomore midfielder Becky Wallis for stepping up in place of senior Linda Velaj, who didn’t play in the game. Junior forwards Marie Biondi and Angelica Modica contributed in a variety of ways in the win.

            “Every team can improve and not take teams for granted, but we obviously got a lot of new players this year that made a difference.” senior midfielder Ceri Harris said. “

            The Purple Knights now carry a 5-2 overall record and 1-1 in the ECC while Mercy falls to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in ECC play. Next on the agenda for UB is a home match against Bentley University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. After that, there will a stretch of three road games including stops against arch rival C.W. Post on October 2 and in a tough Northeast-10 opponent in Stonehill College on October 13 before returning home on the 17 to face Molloy College.

            “It’s good to get back after a disappointing [performance] and always when you lose a game like the Queens one, you always want to get a good win,” Nilerud said. “It was finally nice to get a good win, so you can move on to the bigger games.”