The Central Connecticut State University women’s soccer team extended their unbeaten streak to six games in a 1-1 draw against Northeast Conference foe Sacred Heart University on Thursday, Oct. 5 at CCSU Soccer Field.
It was a tale of two halves. The Blue Devils played at their own pace early on and controlled the game. The press of Sacred Heart could not contain the CCSU attack. Putting chance after chance into the box, the Blue Devils were bound to score one.
But, in the 15th minute, CCSU’s goalkeeper Melina Ford rolled the ball to teammate Victoria Violette, who failed to gain control and turned it over. Sacred Heart’s Morgan Bovardi capitalized on the mistake and scored, putting the Pioneers up 1-0.
The Blue Devils head coach, Mick D’Arcy, commented on the goal after the game.
“You have to have faith in how you play; that’s what it boils down to. It was a mistake, we know it was a mistake, it’s a preventable mistake,” D’Arcy said. “Going forward with the rest of the game, we were confident that wasn’t going to happen again. But these things happen in games, and I thought we responded to it well, grew stronger as the game went on.”
After giving up the goal, CCSU struggled for the remainder of the first half. They turned the ball over in curtailed areas and created few scoring opportunities.
In the second half, the Blue Devils looked like a different team. They attacked the ball aggressively and were sharp and decisive in the final third.
That aggression and poise paid off in the 53rd minute when senior Giavanna Inzerillo scored on a corner kick, tying the game at one apiece.
Sacred Heart pressed the whole game and played a gritty, hard-nosed style of soccer.
Coach D’Arcy credited the Pioneers for their speed after the game.
“Defensively, they are a handful up top,” D’Arcy said. “They’ve got some great speed, but I thought we handled it pretty well today, and we created chances. That is a team that will probably be there in the postseason.”
Coach D’Arcy credited a difficult out of conference schedule as one of the keys to the team’s recent success.
“It’s a variety of things. We’ve been able to score some goals, which helps, but overall, I just think we’ve improved as the season has gone on,” D’Arcy said. “A couple of early tests in our non-conference games that provided some good lessons for us and gave us a good platform to start NEC play.”
The Blue Devils will look to extend their undefeated streak to seven games when they hit the road to face off against the Merrimack Warriors at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12.
