Celebrating Senior Day, the Central Connecticut State University women’s soccer team extended their unbeaten streak to eight games with a 2-2 draw against Le Moyne College on Sunday, Oct. 15, at CCSU Soccer Field.
Forwards Aoife Horgan and Giavanna Inzerillo kicked off the scoring when they connected on a Horgan goal to put the Blue Devils up 1-0 in the 10th minute.
Le Moyne scored twice in the first half. Once in the 21st minute and again in the 38th, to take the 2-1 lead over Central at halftime.
The Blue Devils came out in the second half more aggressive and kept the ball on Le Moyne’s side of the field on a much more consistent basis.
Assistant coach Jen Prozzo, who filled in and led the team in the absence of head coach Mick D’Arcy, stressed the importance of staying persistent.
“For us, I think it was very important to come back to get the tie,” Prozzo said. “There were enough chances for us to try to get the game away, so we’ll work on those positives.”
The Central defense held strong in the second half by shutting out Le Moyne. Midfielder Sabrina Krause scored the game-tying goal for the Blue Devils in the 80th minute to seal the draw.
Inzerillo, the Northeast Conference leader in goals, goals per game, points, and points per game, had an off-day shooting the ball. She took seven shots, six on target, but was held scoreless.
Despite the team’s gritty performance, Inzerillo was unsatisfied with her play.
“Personally, I could have done a little more to put the ball in the back of the net,” Inzerillo said.
Midfielder Gia Edwards said she felt that team chemistry and morale needed to be more automatic.
“When we got scored on, our heads went down a little bit, and we kind of lost touch with the ball,” Edwards said. “Our connection just wasn’t as good.”
To Inzerillo, it all comes down to playing consistently and not giving in to the opponent, she said.
“We just need to keep playing our game,” Inzerillo said. “Sometimes we go into games, and we start off playing our game, and then we fall off to the opponent.”
Edwards, who was celebrating her senior day, had just as much to be excited about off the field as on the field.
“I went to the locker room today, and I saw all the posters for me, and it meant a lot to me,” Edwards said.
Prozzo liked what she saw in the game and will continue to push the team in the upcoming matches.
“We take care of the ball very well, the way we build from the back to the midfield and find our forwards,” Prozzo said. “The next opponent is our focus, but it’s still a lot about us and what we do with the ball.”
