Oct. 8, 2011 - The Cougar women's soccer team engaged in yet another hard-played defensive battle this afternoon when they hosted Edgewood College. This one went the way of the visitors when Edgewood scored twice in the final 6:11 to beat Concordia 2-0.
The first half was played close to the vest with neither team seeing many quality scoring chances. Elaine Gerry, Edgewood's top scorer with 12 goals in 12 games, had two early shots on goal, but Cougar keeper Callie Hasselbring (Houston, TX/Cypress Ridge) was up to the task both times in making the saves.
Late in the half, the Eagles had their best opportunity. A corner kick came in front of the goal where Sophie Rodriguez back-heeled the ball toward the net. However, with Hasselbring out of position, the Cougars' defenders recovered quickly and cleared the ball away from further danger.
In the second half, Stephanie Rivas (Elmhurst, NY/Arts & Business) and Anne Rockert (Kankakee, IL/Herscher) tested the Edgewood goalkeeper, but she made the stops to keep the game scoreless. Gorana Micevic (Norridge, IL/Ridgewood) had an opportunity on a free kick from 20 yards out, but her shot sailed high.
Finally, Edgewood broke the ice in the 84th minute. Emily Berns broke in alone off a couple of one-toun passes. As Hasselbring came out to challenge, defender Kelly Engelking (Elgin, IL/Burlington Central) caught Berns from behind and tripped her. The referee awarded a penalty kick, and Brittany Franken converted from the spot for the 1-0 lead.
Just 49 seconds later, Edgewood doubled the lead. Emily Dorsett led Megan Falk perfectly on a pass to the middle of the pitch. Falk walked in and beat Hasselbring low for the insurance goal with 5:22 remaining.
Edgewood finished with a 13-7 advantage in shots. Hasselbring made six saves while Kristi FRisch made three for the Eagles.
Concordia (6-6-0, 2-6-0) will close out a busy week Sunday afternoon when they host Finlandia University.
