Wright State Women’s Soccer Game vs. Youngstown 9/19/2021 | Photo by Caitlin Shatsby | The Wright State Guardian
Determined to start the Horizon League Season out strong, Wright State University (WSU) Women’s Soccer faced off against the Milwaukee Panthers, the Youngstown State Penguins, and the Green Bay Phoenix.
Their busy week ended 0-1-2, losing against Milwaukee 1-2, before tying both Youngstown 1-1 and Green Bay 0-0 after double overtime.
For a team picked seventh in the League preseason poll, they played exceptionally well against Milwaukee, who was picked first in the poll after winning the Horizon League Championship for three straight seasons.
The Raider Defense and Goalkeeper Jessika Seward kept the Raiders in all three games, only allowing three goals in 310 minutes of soccer this week.
1-2 VS the Panthers
The Panthers were easily the favorite before the match started, picked to be first in the preseason poll and winning the last three Horizon League Championships.
As expected, Milwaukee largely controlled the match from the start, dominating possession early and scoring in the seventh minute.
Gabby Schwartz sent the ball to just outside the box from the halfway line, as Haley Johnson hit a beautiful first-touch finish on a half-volley to the near post for a 1-0 Panther lead.
They scored once more before the end of the first half, with Maggie Woods picking off a goal kick and passing to Lesley Kiesling for a wide-open shot.
With the game going as planned for Milwaukee, it was a surprise to see WSU push back hard in the second half, scoring in the first three minutes to start a comeback. A ball played across the box found Destiny Johnson, who blasted it into the back of the net.
The Panthers held off WSU’s attack for the rest of the match, but not without difficulty.
1-1 at home
The Raiders have yet to win at home this season, with their tie against Youngstown making their home record 0-2-2.
The Raiders conceded a goal early in the match once again, this time in the 22nd minute, as Regan LaVigna slotted one past Seward in the Penguins’ first shot of the match. WSU took eight shots in the first half, but none would find the back of the net.
The match seemed lost for the Raiders in the 75th minute when Taylor Ulrich received her second yellow card, and the Raiders had to play a person down.
Josie Krupp had other ideas, as just six minutes later she scored to tie the match 1-1 and push the match into overtime. Even with a player down, the Raiders shot just as much as the Penguins in overtime and even took more corner kicks.
But, neither team would find the back of the net. The Raiders had 12 corner kicks to YSU’s six, and 24 shots to their 15, but the contest would end 1-1.
An empty scoreboard against the Phoenix
The Raiders seemed to carry their strong defense into their match against the Green Bay Phoenix, but still would be unable to find the back of the net.
While both teams had great chances in the first 90 minutes, neither side would find a goal, pushing the Raiders into extra time once again.
Maddie Mitchell had great shots for WSU in extra time, but she was denied by Green Bay’s Annie Mason, ending the 110 minutes in a 0-0 draw.
