NEW LONDON, N.H. – Junior
Elizabeth Tschudin netted the equalizer with 23:09 left in the second half as the Keene State College women's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw with Colby-Sawyer College in the Chargers' first-ever night contest on Tuesday at Sally Shaw Veitch Field.
Colby-Sawyer (2-3-2) had taken a 1-0 lead just over 12 minutes earlier on Lauren Ardolino's fourth goal of the season, but that was one of very few chances on the night for the home team, who was outshot 11-4 and managed just two shots on target. The Owls (2-3-2) continued a defensive turnaround, having allowed just three goals in their last 270 minutes after allowing 13 goals in their first four games in a 1-3 start.
In each of their last two games – both draws – the Owls fell behind before answering back. Saturday at home in the Little East Conference opener against Eastern Connecticut State University, KSC allowed a goal in the 41st minute and was fighting back from that 1-0 deficit all game until
Emily O'Connell tied it with a dramatic goal with 44 seconds left.
Tonight, KSC answered in the 67th minute when
Allison Kenyon ran up the left side and sent in a cross where
Kylie Rapoza flicked it over to Tschudin, who had nearly wide-open net to shoot at after CSC goalkeeper Gabriela Calidonio overcommitted on the cross and did not miss, firing a roller into the right side of the net.
Neither team had a shot on target over the final 20 minutes, with
Eleanor Leland shooting wide in the 81st minute and Tschudin wide in the 83rd minute. Rapoza and Kenyon again almost combined on a pretty goal in the waning moments to help give KSC a win, but Calidonio gobbled up Kenyon's dangerous cross into the middle right near goal. She finished with a pair of saves for the Chargers in the tie.
KSC split time in net between
Riley Andriski, who did not need to make a save in the first half, and
Hannah Verville, who stopped one in the second half.
The 1-1 draw is the second in the last three meetings between the teams, with KSC going 2-0-2 over the last four and 4-2-3 overall in the series against Colby-Sawyer, a school about an hour north of the Elm City.
Keene State continues a three-game week with a visit to Worcester State University (4-1, 2-0 MASCAC) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Lancers suffered their first loss of the season tonight against cross-town rival Clark University 3-0 on the road despite outshooting the Cougars 16-9. Worcester had shut out four of their first five opponents, including Wheaton (Mass.) 2-0, a common opponent shared with KSC.
