The Dominican University women's soccer team staked to a 3-nil lead at the half but had to hold on for a thrilling 3-2 win over the visiting MSOE Raiders on Wednesday afternoon in River Forest. With the win, the Stars improve to 5-3-0 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with two games to play in the conference regular season.
Kelli Iovino (Arlington Heights, Ill.) got the Stars on the board in the eighth minute, collecting a loose ball near the top of the 18-yard box before splitting a pair of defenders and beating the Raiders' goalkeeper to the near post.
Iovino and the Stars struck again in the 21
st minute with Iovino ripping a low shot from 18-yards out to the far post.
Leah Tednes (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) and
Taylor Adler (Shorewood, Ill.) collected assists on the play.
Tednes got in on the action in the 33
rd minute, getting on the end of
Kelly Gerwitz's (Florissant, Mo.) service to the back post for the eventual game-winner.
The Stars outshot the Raiders 8-2 over the first 45 minutes but MSOE refused to go quietly, tallying a pair of header goals less than four minutes apart early in the second half. The first came in the 51
st minute as Caitlin Liddiard netted her 12
th goal of the season. Then in the 55
th minute it was Natalie Gayner that got on the end of a cross to the back post, drawing the Raiders to within one goal of the Stars.
The Dominican defense clamped down the remainder of the way, including a beautiful save by
Sara Stepanovich (Des Plaines, Ill.) in the 89
th minute when Liddiard ripped a shot from 23-yards out. The Stars' goalkeeper punched the shot over the crossbar, preserving the victory.
Stepanovich made five saves in the winning effort as the Raiders put seven out of ten shots on frame. Dominican ripped 13 shots at the MSOE goal, putting eight on goal.
The Stars will be back in action on Saturday, hosting the Alverno College Inferno for a 12:00 p.m. match on West Campus Field.
