BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College women's soccer team fought through a valiant comeback attempt, but DeSales University held on for a 3-2 win on Saturday afternoon at the HUB Quad.
Junior forward Kirsten Schall put the Greyhounds (1-3) ahead 1-0 in the 16th minute, but the Bulldogs (2-0-2) rallied back with three unanswered goals. Schall added another goal, her fourth of the season, in the 84th minute as her teammates dominated possession in the final moments of the game. The comeback fell just short as DeSales spoiled Moravian's home opener.
"The good news is we didn't quit," said Head Coach Brienne Smith. "It was just too little, too late. You can't start playing with 10 minutes left when you're down 3-1. We started slow and we got a little comfortable with a 1-0 lead. We let them get back into it and that's something we've struggled with. We can't let up goals after we score."
The first-half letdown came after a beautiful goal. After a DeSales foul was called, Schall lined up to take the direct kick just off center outside the 18-yard box. The junior striker had a decision to make.
"I was pumped when we got it," Schall said. "At practice, I just nail it. [Catherine Lamplugh] was next to me and had an open lane, so I was going to pass it to her. Then I saw how short the goalie was, so I decided to shoot it at the last minute."
The shot had enough velocity to rattle the back of the net before the DeSales keeper left her feet. Schall's two-goal performance was a bright spot on an otherwise dreary day for the Greyhounds. The team captain feels one simple tweak could have turned the tide on Saturday.
"We're a possession team," Schall said. "We practice that and we're struggling to bring that to a game. We can possess the ball so well, and we could have done that better today, we could have cut through them and score a lot more than we did."
Sophomore midfielder Taylor Blake had an excellent chance on goal in the 81st minute during Moravian's furious comeback. She found herself open inside the penalty area and ripped a shot that was spectacularly saved by the DeSales keeper. The Greyhounds followed that with three consecutive corner kicks, all of which were turned away by a solid Bulldog backline.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jacqueline Zalis got the start in the second half and made two saves. More importantly, she picked up some valuable experience as she battles senior Genevieve Chaleff for the starting spot.
"It was nice to get a goalkeeper without much experience some time in net," Smith said. "She came off her line well and had a couple nice saves. We're going to have a real competition for that spot all season, which is a good and a bad thing. We have a senior who really wants it, and we have a sophomore who adds a lot of depth to the position."
Schall's offensive outburst on Saturday was a feat of both physical and mental skill. Her decision making on the direct kick led to the opening score, and her second goal proved she is one of the smartest players on the field.
Moravian was called for offsides in the 83rd minute, but DeSales failed to notice. The Bulldog goalkeeper then threw the ball forward to her team, which effectively put the ball in play. As DeSales was setting up for a free kick, Schall walked up the ball and took it away with her feet as the referee signaled to play on.
Schall was undefended on a breakaway and beat the keeper to the left side to bring Moravian one goal closer to a comeback.
The Greyhounds get a chance at redemption when they return to the HUB Quad on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. non-conference match with Neumann University.
