Sophomore Kaelin King celebrates her game winning overtime goal with se- nior teammate Jaclyn Giordano
Photos courtesy of Lafayette Athletic Communications
In the 103rd minute, with the score tied at 2-2, a long ball up the middle set up a shot from the right box, sneaking past the goaltender for an overtime victory for the Lafayette Leopards.
That pass: senior Alex Reisinger; the goal: sophomore Kaelin King.
This past weekend, the women’s soccer team found victory in dramatic fashion in a league game versus Holy Cross, putting them at 4-7 overall and 1-3 in the Patriot League. The team hopes to use this double-overtime win as momentum going forward after an 0-3 start to the league season.
The Leopards were led by co-captain Jaclyn Giordano during regular time, as the senior put away two goals in the second half to send the game into overtime. King’s winning goal gave the team their first Patriot League win of the season.
“It was honestly one of the best feelings I’ve had in a while. I was kind of in a little bit of a scoring rut. I hadn’t scored since August,” King said. “[The game] was so back and forth and we were finally able to put it away and [being] the one to put it in the back of the net was just amazing.”
King was not alone in the scoring drought. Prior to this weekend’s game, the Leopards had scored only three goals in nine games.
“It’s nice having the reassurance that we don’t only have to defend against these teams,” Giordano said. “We can score goals.”
It was a tough start to the fall season for the Leopards, as injuries plagued key and veteran players. The team followed a 2-0 start in August with just one win in the month of September against visiting UMass Lowell. They lost Colgate, Navy, and Lehigh before coming up with the victory against Holy Cross this past weekend. The team has surrendered 19 goals while scoring 11, four of which came this week.
The future is looking bright for the Leopards, as many previously injured players are returning to the field. In addition to the return of multiple key players, the team has already played some of the strongest teams in the league, including Navy and Colgate.
The team’s playoff hopes remain alive. The Patriot League tournament takes the top six teams at the end of the regular season.
“It definitely should give the team a lot of confidence just to know that we can compete with these teams,” Giordano said.
However, the team will face another tough opponent this Saturday as they travel to Boston University. The Terriers are currently undefeated in the league, with two ties. If the team can harness the momentum coming off of last weekend, they are in a position to make a statement to the Patriot League.
“We have nothing to lose. If we can get a win against them, it would be huge for us,” Giordano added.
Senior Jaclyn Giordano dribbles past a Holy Cross defender