ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Oct.
26, 2011) - Tied at 3-up with only 14 seconds left
in double overtime on Tuesday, junior midfielder
Kylie Barbosa (Syosset, N.Y.) headed in a
last-chance corner kick by sophomore midfielder Allison Sloper (Williston Park,
N.Y.), lifting the Molloy College
women's soccer team to a 4-3 victory versus non-conference foe
Concordia College in its 2011 home finale at the Dean G. Skelos
Sports Complex in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With the decision, the
Lions are now 9-7 overall, and notched their first winning season
since 2008, when they went 9-8-2. Meanwhile, the Clippers slipped
to 2-13 on the year.
Concordia had the first chance of the
game, as junior forward Iyesha Ollivierre (Trinidad,
Wis.) forced Molloy goalie Nicole DellaPorta (West
Babylon, N.Y.) to make a difficult save just four-plus
minutes into the opening half. But, it was the maroon and white
that broke through first at the 10:21 mark on a tally by Sloper. On
the play, the Williston Park product sent a cross pass towards the
net, which re-directed off the Clippers' Oumou Toure (New
York, N.Y.) and into the mesh, giving the Lions an early
1-0 cushion. The goal was her team-leading 11th of the season.
Seconds later, freshman forward
Nicole Brochero (White Plains, N.Y.) knotted
things up for Concordia, when she received a short through
ball from Ollivierre, and beat DellaPorta on a breakaway. The
visitors weren't done there though, as Francesca Lombardo
(Eastchester, N.Y.) eventually gave the Clippers their
first lead of the game with 35:14 elapsed. Just 15 seconds after
that tally, sophomore forward Tricia Zarro (Valley Stream,
N.Y.), who regularly plays goalie for Molloy, punched home
her first collegiate tally to deadlock the score at 2-all. She got
around her defender, and struck the far side of the twine.
Both squads soon went into the
intermission in a 2-2 tie. Through 30-plus minutes in the second
half, the Lions and Clippers both combined for just five shots,
only two of which were on net. However, in the 78th-minute, it was
senior midfielder Nicole Reverberi (Massapequa,
N.Y.) that ended the stalemate with a penalty kick
attempt. The shot was set up when Zarro was brought down by
Concordia's Bridgitte McCalla (Queens, N.Y.)
in the box. Reverberi then stepped to the ball, and kicked a
shot past Clippers' junior goalkeeper Jessica Nanan
(Queens, N.Y.) for the 3-2 cushion.
McCalla soon went from lackey to hero,
as she tied the contest with just 2:22 to go. Similar to
Concordia's first goal, Ollivierre sent a through ball to McCalla
for a one-on-one chance. She then chipped a shot over DellaPorta
for the equalizing tally. The goal also extended the match
into overtime. After a tumultuous first extra period, the action
picked up in the second overtime stanza. Sloper and junior
forward/midfielder Nicole Valentine (Massapequa,
N.Y.) just missed on their chances, as Sloper's breakaway
try sailed wide, while Valentine's shot was saved just short of
passing over the goal line.
Seeing that time is dwindling, and a
tie is near, the Lions earned a corner with 22 seconds remaining.
Sloper then curved the kick toward the goal, with an uncontested
Barbosa heading a shot past the out-stretched arms of Nanan for the
game-winner.
Between the pipes, Nanan made six
saves, while DellaPorta stopped three. Overall, Molloy owned a
22-10 advantage in the shot department, while both squads had five
corner kicks each. Valentine finished with a game-best six shots
(two SOG).
Head Coach Danny Longo and the Lions
wrap up the regular season on Saturday (Oct. 29) in a pivotal East
Coast Conference tilt at C.W. Post in Brookville, N.Y. Kickoff is
scheduled for noon.
