DANBURY, Conn. – The Plymouth State University women's soccer team fell to the WestConn Wolves, 4-1, in Little East Conference (LEC) action at Westside Athletic Complex on Saturday morning.
Perennial LEC powerhouse WestConn, voted to place third in the preseason poll, had something to prove after the Panthers beat the Wolves on Arold Field last season. Three first half goals put the hosts comfortably in front, but a penalty kick goal from freshman
Islah Godo (Topsham, Maine) in the 60th minute gave Plymouth State some second half life.
The Panthers continued to press to close out the game, but the first half goals were all WestConn needed to cement the conference victory. Sophomore goalkeeper
Christa Giansiracusa (Tewksbury, Mass.) had another strong performance between the pipes, earning a career-high 13 saves.
Plymouth State falls to 3-4-0 (0-2-0 LEC), while WestConn moves to 5-3-1 (2-0-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, WestConn 4
- Plymouth State (3-4-0, 0-2-0 LEC)
- WestConn (5-3-1, 2-0-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The Wolves struck first in the 9th minute on a 2-on-1 up the right side which the WestConn striker comfortably tucked into the low right corner to take a 1-0 lead.
- WestConn doubled its lead in the 18th minute on a second attempt rebound which was put home by the Wolves who were first to get to the bouncing ball. The goal put the team up 2-0 early in the first half.
- The Wolves seemed to put the game out of reach before halftime, recording their third goal of the morning in the 30th minute to go up 3-0 with 15 minutes to play before halftime.
- The Panthers came out with some energy as the team started to apply pressure to the WestConn back line. A converted penalty from Godo in the 60th minute cut the deficit to 3-1 as the Panthers pushed to make a second half comeback.
- Forced to push numbers forward, and Panthers found themselves exposed in the back as the Wolves countered for their fourth goal of the game in the 81st minute to regain a three-goal advantage (4-1).
- The Panthers had a good second half showing, but the first half margin proved to be too much to overcome as the Wolves walked away with the conference victory.
By the Numbers:
- WestConn outshot the Panthers by a margin of 26-6.
- Shots on goal were in the Wolves' favor, 17-3.
- Plymouth State recorded one corner kick to eight for the Wolves.
- Giansiracusa's 13 saves were the most made by a Plymouth State goalkeeper since the 2021 season (15).
- Plymouth State knocked off the Wolves, 2-1, last fall for head coach Sammy Blizzard Bogardus' first win.
- WestConn has won the last 13 meetings in Danbury. The Panthers' last road win in the series came in 2003.
- The Panthers are now 5-26-3 in the head-to-head matchup dating back to the 1994 season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers visit Elms College on Tuesday (Sept. 23) for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with the Blazers.
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