The women’s soccer team couldn’t reach the net against Army at Gummeson Grounds on Saturday, falling in a 2-0 shutout.
The Leopards (1-3-3 Patriot League, 3-7-6 overall) struggled to maintain possession early against the Black Knights (4-2-1 Patriot League, 10-4-2 overall), with the visitors firing off three shots in the first 10 minutes of play. Junior goalkeeper Catherine Apker made an early save, and the other two shots went wide of the net.
“Defensively, we stayed very organized and communicated well as a group,” freshman midfielder Era Methoxha wrote in an email.
Senior midfielder Sofia Ruggiero fired a sneaky shot in the 17th minute off a corner kick from 10 yards out, but a diving save by Army’s goalkeeper blocked the chance. The Leopards attempted to score on the rebound, but a foul reverted possession to the Black Knights.
The Maroon and White managed two more shots before the end of the half, courtesy of junior midfielder Nadia Zaffanella and Methoxha, but both went over the top of the goal to keep the game scoreless into the locker rooms.
“We settled for too many long-range shots and could have been more patient in the attack to generate better opportunities closer to the goal,” Zaffanella wrote in an email. “I think if we could’ve found space behind their backline to run in behind we could have developed some stronger chances at goal.”
The Leopards kicked off the second half aggressively, as Ruggiero struck the ball towards the bottom center of the net for her second shot on the day, but was swiftly handled by the keeper.
Army took the first jab in the 51st minute. The ball ricocheted off an Apker save and found the foot of a Black Knight, who sank it in to take a 1-0 lead.
“We found some success in pressing their backline and taking advantage of Army’s goalkeepers poor distribution,” Zaffanella wrote. “Unfortunately, we struggled to defend their quick transitions which led to their goals.”
The Black Knights took advantage in the 74th minute on a failed clear attempt by the Leopard defense, firing off the goal to extend the Army lead.
Two minutes later, Zaffanella found the Leopards’ best opportunity to cut into the lead on a shot that headed towards the top of the cage. However, the goalkeeper leaped up to clear the attempt, and the Black Knights rode out the rest of the clock to secure the home loss for the Maroon and White.
“We did a really good job of getting into the attacking third and creating opportunities,” Methoxha wrote. “We were getting into the right areas but our shots felt a little rushed or we didn’t connect too cleanly.”
Before the game, the Maroon and White celebrated six seniors who took the field at Gummeson Grounds for the penultimate home game of their careers.
The Leopards will hit the road for the final time of the regular season, travelling to the Naval Academy (2-2-3 Patriot League, 9-5-3 overall) on Friday.