Senior stopper Jen Seferiadis continued her offensive outburst by leading the women?s soccer team to its fourth straight win Saturday.
Seferiadis curled a corner kick into the net five minutes into the second overtime to give the Yellowjackets a 2-1 victory over New York University in their first league game of the season.
Seferiadis leads the team with four goals and two assists, all in the last four games.
?I get the opportunity to take corners and direct kicks sometimes, so I get a lot of chances to take shots on goal,? Seferiadis said.
Seferiadis has scored three of her goals on corner kicks and one on a direct kick from 35 yards out.
NYU took a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute, but freshman striker Portia Bridges tied the game seven minutes later.
Bridges was in the middle of the box about six yards out and received a cross from freshman striker Kristin Kelly. She then slid the ball into the right side of the goal.
Bridges has three goals and one assist off the bench for UR this season. Kelly, who also had a shot hit the crossbar, has two goals and an assist.
?The difference between the starting players and the players coming in off the bench is insignificant, so there?s never a lapse in play,? Seferiadis said.
Sophomore and first year goalie Sarah Malecki made a career-high seven saves for UR. She has allowed just four goals in her five full games in net.
?Sarah?s playing with confidence born of hard work,? said Terry Gurnett, who has 299 wins as head coach of the Yellowjackets.
The Yellowjackets improved to 5-2 overall with a 2-1 win over Nazareth Tuesday.
Kelly and Bridges teamed up again to give UR a 1-0 lead with seven minutes left in the first half.
Bridges fed Kelly at the top of the box and Kelly lofted a perfect ball into the top of the net.
Nazareth tied the game 10 minutes into the second half when sophomore midfielder Lindsay Reilly scored her own goal.
Nazareth?s Shannon Rene got behind UR?s defense, but Malecki was able to make a diving deflection of her shot.
Reilly was running back to help the defense. Her momentum carried her into the ball and made her bury it in the back of the net.
The Yellowjackets got the lead back 12 minutes later when Seferiadis blasted a direct kick from 40 yards out off the crossbar and the goalie fell to the ground trying to gain control of the ball.
Sophomore striker Alison Collins headed the rebound over the goalie for her first goal of the season. Collins led the team with 10 goals last year.
?It was a long time coming,? Collins said. ?Now the flood gates can open, hopefully.?
Collins started having pain in her left knee before the preseason. She has to wear a brace during games this season. ?[The pain] is on and off,? Collins said. ?I?m just playing through it, basically.?
Nazareth, which was ranked 16th in Div. III, fell to 5-2-1 with the loss.
The Yellowjackets will have a tough time getting Gurnett his 300th win. UR hosts No. 8 Emory University at 3:30 p.m., Saturday.
Jacobs can be reached at bjacobs@campustimes.org.
