Women's Soccer | 8/30/2013 5:06:00 PM
Box Score
ROCHESTER, NY -- Junior forward Sierra Kiss (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) scored in the 107th minute off assists from Maxine Culhane (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) and Ehlana Gray (Sewickley, PA/Avonworth) to give RIT women's soccer (1-0-0) a 1-0 win over Allegheny College (0-1-0) in game one of the 2013 Rachel Miller Memorial Tournament on a hot, sunny Friday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
Gray got free on the left flank and sent a ball into the Allegheny box. Culhane got a touch on the ball deflecting it back to Kiss who one-timed a shot into the right corner for her first tally of the season.
RIT held a decisive 12-4 shot advantage, firing seven corner kicks to four for the Gators. Junior Amanda Murray (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) picked up her first shutout win of the season for the Tigers, stopping all three shots she faced. Gabrielle Curtis took the loss for Allegheny, allowing one goal and making five saves.
RIT controlled the bulk of the play as the first half wore on, generating several good scoring chances. With 6:25 to play in the half, Emily Shoemaker (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) sent a long throw into the Allegheny penalty area. Sarah Stoltzfus (West Grove, PA/Avon Grove) gathered the long throw, turned and fired a shot that Curtis was able to save.
Shoemaker generated another scoring chance late in the opening half, this time with a shot from outside the box that just went over the cross bar.
Allegheny's best chance of the opening half came with a little over 34 minutes to play in the first half, when Hannah Zangara sent a shot just wide of the RIT net. Brianna Layman had a good chance early in the second half for the Gators, when she fired a shot that Murray was able to save.
RIT's best chance to score in regulation came inside the last minute. Shoemaker sent a free kick into the Allegheny penalty area that Alexa Martinez (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) got a head on, but was blocked away by a Gators defender.
On the ensuing corner kick, Gwen Neuhaus (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) sent in a service to the feet of Shelby Vakiener (Fairport, NY/Fairport) whose first shot was blocked away. The rebound came back to Vakiener. This time, her shot looked to be headed to the low left corner, but Allegheny's defense saved the shot off the line, keeping the game scoreless.
Kiss sent a ball early in the first overtime that deflected off an Allegheny defender and sprang Kiana Richards (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) one-on-one with Curits who came off her line and deflected RIchards' shot out of harms way.
With just twenty seconds to play in the first overtime, Niki Augustine fired a shot on goal that Murray saw, and made a good diving save to keep the game tied, which led to Kiss' overtime winner.
RIT will face Otterbein College on Saturday, August 31 at 5 p.m. in its final game of the Rachel Miller Memorial Tournament. Otterbein and Nazareth play Friday at 5 p.m., while Nazareth and Allegheny play on Saturday at 2 p.m.
