Women’s Soccer | Photo by Arden Reimer | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University women’s soccer was down a goal in minute 89 on Sunday night against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, but freshman Katie McGuiness finally found the back of the net, securing a Raider win.
Overview of win
The Raiders controlled the pace of play for the majority of the first half, but the scoreline did not show it.
The Mastodons had three great opportunities in the span of two minutes, and the third of which found the back of the net, as Rylee Vruggink found a tight angle for Morgan Reitano. Reitano played a perfect first-touch finish past WSU goalkeeper Jessika Seward in minute eight.
The Raiders tried to bounce back quickly after that goal, but PFW withstood the Raider attack, denying 13 shots from the Raiders in the first half. WSU had a lot of solid opportunities that were not on goal.
Throughout the second half, the Raiders stayed on the attack, but started to get desperate late. As the Mastodons held the lead for 80 plus minutes, the feeling of a loss started to settle in for WSU fans; however, the final corner kick of the game found Kaylee Pham and then McGuiness for the equalizer.
For Travis Sobers, Head Coach for the Raiders, there were missed opportunities, but the Raiders fighting to the end and getting the needed goal were great signs.
“We knew coming in today was going to be a tough game,” Sobers said. “We have to do better with our chances, but Katie McGuinness getting a goal off the bench just shows the strength and tenacity of this team.”
The standings
With McGuiness’s first career goal saving the Raiders, WSU not only stays undefeated at home but also stays at the top of HL standings.
WSU, PFW and Detroit Mercy all hold 12 points after six or seven games of HL play, with PFW as the only team undefeated in all its conference games.
The 3-1-3 record the Raiders hold now puts the team in prime position to dominate the league for the regular season, to earn a spot in the HL Tournament and to eventually capture a possible championship.
“We’re getting better, we’ve just got to continue to compete. About this time of year, it’s about putting yourself in the best position to be in the conference tournament and the conference championship, and we’re doing that,” Sobers said.
The Raiders’ final scheduled home game of the year is Oct. 16 against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at one p.m. ESPN+ will stream the game.
