On a wet Friday night, the women’s soccer team had an exciting overtime win over Emory University at Fauver Stadium to kick off a successful two-win weekend.
UR capped off their outstanding defensive effort with a breakaway goal by junior forward Bridgette Varin in overtime to win, 1-0. The UR defense stood tall all night, limiting the Eagles to only one shot on goal during the entire game.
Emory’s defense had contained the UR strikers until a long entry pass from junior defender Meaghan Magee slipped by the Emory defense on the slick turf and met Varin in stride streaking toward the goal. As the goalkeeper charged out of the goal to stop the breakaway, the crafty ‘Jacket fired a hard shot in the air over the head of the keeper, which landed in the back of the net.
After that goal, which was Varin’s fifth of the season, the sideline erupted in cheers as the Yellowjackets swarmed around her to celebrate the game-winner.
‘We kept trying to break the defense by sending long balls for our forwards or outside mids to run onto,” senior midfielder Erin Carballo said.
This strategy worked, as evidenced by the breakaway with 17 seconds left in the first overtime.
The win marked their fourth University Athletic Association win this season and was a good comeback after their disappointing loss to Rochester Institute of Technology earlier in the week.
Just two days later, UR had another big UAA win at Fauver stadium against Carnegie Mellon University.
Sophomore forward Ellen Coleman from Wauwatosa, Wisc. scored her ninth goal of the season with just 2 minutes left in the first half, after heading in a cross from junior midfielder Marissa Braverman to take a 1-0 lead going into the break.
Thirteen minutes into the second half, UR got an insurance goal after Varin shot from the top of the penalty box to the upper right corner past the Tartan keeper.
Varin’s second goal of the weekend earned her UAA Offensive Player of the Week and proved to be the game-winner after Carnegie Mellon’s Katie Davis scored on a header off of a corner kick with six minutes left.
UR held onto the 2-1 lead and improved to a 12-3-2 record, 5-1 in the UAA, keeping them in second place behind only Washington University.
Sunday also marked the last regular season home game for the Yellowjackets and began with a special recognition of the team’s seniors.
UR knows UAA opponents can never be taken lightly.
‘I expected both games to be tough because all UAA teams are pretty good and it’s all about who shows up to play on that day,” Varin said.
This Saturday, the women finish their season with a big game on the road against Case Western Reserve University.
‘Case has been doing well so it is important for us to come out strong,” Carballo said.
The team still has a chance to win the league with a victory over Case.
‘If we beat Case this weekend and Wash U loses to Chicago then we will win the conference, giving us an automatic bid to the [National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships],” Varin explained.
UAA champions or not, UR is looking to finish strong in Cleveland to gain a bid for the NCAA playoffs on a three-game win streak.
Yezer is a member of the class of 2011.
