George Washington University
<b>Fordham*</b>
Fordham Too Much for GW
10/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 13, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC - The Colonials started the match strong, scoring less than four minutes after kick-off, but were unable to hold that lead, falling 2-1 to the Rams of Fordham University late Friday afternoon. The loss drops GW to 8-7-0 overall, and 1-4-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.
"I think that the girls will carry the bitterness of this loss for the rest of the season," Head Coach Tanya Vogel said after the game. "We're at a point now where we have to win out last four games."
After splitting last weekend's games with Richmond and Charlotte (a win and a loss, respectively) today's match against Fordham (9-4-0, 3-1-0) was a must-win affair for the Colonials, and they showed that urgency from the beginning. After a stalled Fordham attack, George Washington countered, playing the ball ahead to red-shirt freshman Simone Russo. The forward from New York spotted sophomore Meg Pyle streaking down the middle of the pitch and led her with a perfect pass. Pyle, who was already past the defense line, lobbed the ball over the keeper's head for the early 1-0 lead. It was her team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The slim advantage would not last, however, as Fordham began to control play and launch offensive attacks. Their first goal came in the 24th minute when Haley Lentsch chipped the ball ahead to forward Katie Sanchez. The sophomore, who found herself one-on-one with the keeper, saw her opening and took it, sending a floater over the outstretched arms of Amie Kern. Less than 10 minutes later, the Rams tallied their second goal, and eventual game-winner, when Liane Schoenstein drove the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
GW came out in the second half more focused and determined to earn the equalizer. They launched a 45-minute attack with a seemingly newfound intensity, registering six shots and generally determining the pace of play. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they were unable to force extra time. After winning their first five home matches, GW has now lost consecutive games at home for the first time since the Oct. 7-9 weekend of last season.
"We came out flat today," said Vogel. "We got a great goal from Meg [Pyle] right there at the beginning, but overall, we just weren't ready to play."
The Colonials end their four-game home stand on Sunday at Mount Vernon Field when they play host to St. Bonaventure. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start time.
