BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's soccer team battled hard for 110 minutes and rallied three times against Drew University on the HUB Quad on Saturday to earn a 4-4, double-overtime tie the final game of the regular Landmark Conference season. With the tie, the Greyhounds clinch the fourth seed in the Landmark Conference tournament.
The Hounds started out with a good paced of play finding chances from freshman forward Gabby Stelzmiller and junior forward Valentina Margiottiello, however; they were stymied by the Ranger goalie. Drew would battle back and find a 2-0 lead at the end of the first half.
The next 45 minutes of play was a rollercoaster ride for both teams. The Greyhounds raced out right at the start of the second half, took the ball and marched right down the field and blasted the ball into the back of the net. The ball crossed into the box from senior midfielder Taylor Blake over to junior forward Hannah LaFronz, who sent the ball home only 19 seconds into the half for her first goal of the season. The Blue and Grey would continue to press Drew hard and found the equalizer in the 49th minute of play. Senior defender Melissa Pavia played the corner kick into the box finding sophomore Lauren Bertucci, who headed the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net for her second goal of the year.
Shortly after the Hounds tied the game up, the Rangers would break the tie and take the lead back. But Drew wouldn't hold the lead for long. Stelzmiller worked her way past the defenders and to the side of the box and played the ball in. Her ball would again find the foot of LaFronz, who was able to beat the goalie for her second of the game and tie the game back up at 3-3. But Drew would strike again just five minutes later to take the lead back.
The Hounds worked hard for the next 25 minutes but couldn't get anything going offensively. Until the 88th minute, it looked like Drew was going to win. But the Hounds weren't calling it quits just yet. Margiottiello played a corner kick in for Moravian the ball bounced around in front of the net hitting almost every foot it could find until it finally found senior midfielder Catherine Lamplugh's foot and she knocked it past the goalie for her first of the season to send the game to overtime.
In the overtime period the Hounds were able to fend off the Rangers for just long enough to keep the game tied at 4-4.
"I can't speak enough about the character of the girls. At halftime, we told them to continue to fight and battle and that's how we have been all season. Going through our strength of schedule which is now second in the Atlantic Region," commented Head Coach Jeff Ykoruk. "Playing all those tough matches earlier in the season really helped us out and really made us believe that we could come back and win this game. This game tonight could have easily been the most exciting game I have ever been a part of in my career coaching."
Senior goalkeeper Jacqueline Zalis made four saves on the night to bring her season total to 66 saves.
The Greyhounds will head to The Catholic University of America for their Landmark Conference Tournament Semifinal match. The game will be play on Wednesday, November 4 at 2:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C.
