By Molly McSweyn |
The Pilots came out strong on Friday night at the Nike Invitational against the Miami Hurricanes.
Junior Noelle La Prevotte scored her first goal of the season in the 41st minute when sophomores Danica Evans and and Parkes Kendrick set up the goal-scoring play to the right of the 18-yard box. The ball was played in and freshman Maddie Dieker was able to hit a pass through to La Prevotte who slotted in a goal in the lower left corner of the net.
“Coming off the bench, any bench player wants to make a change with whatever amount of time they have to make a difference, and I just happened to be in the right place and get a goal,” La Prevotte said.
However, the Pilots’ lead did not last long.
In the 54th minute, Miami scored an equalizer when sophomore Emily Auld headed the ball into the goal off a cross from sophomore Gianna Del Pozzo. The tension on the field continued to mount as Miami became increasingly more aggressive. In the 56th minute, senior Emily Sipple was fouled inside the goal box and the Pilots were awarded a penalty kick. Evans took and made the shot, giving the Pilots a 2-1 lead.
“I like to just wait a little bit after the whistle is blown and I just think of where I'm going to shoot it and I just go from there,” Danica Evans said.
Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Luty shut down Miami’s final attempts, and the Pilots came out on top 2-1.
After their win on Friday, the Pilots fell 2-1 to San Diego State.
The Pilots kept possession during the first half and held the Aztecs to a 0-0 tie going into halftime. In the 56th minute, senior Kelsey Booth tapped in the first goal for the Aztecs off a cross from senior Haley Lock. However, the Pilots did not let the setback change their pace and they continued to pressure San Diego’s defense.
Sophomores Ellie Boon and Danica Evans created goal scoring opportunities but were thwarted by San Diego. In the 64th minute, the Aztecs junior goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn came out big to deny Pilot Rebekah Kurle’s charge at the goal.
In the 80th minute, sophomore Morgan Darling scored the game winner against the Pilots. Freshman Jess Kennedy scored the only goal for the Pilots off a ball from sophomore Allison Wetherington. Kennedy was making a run by the top left of the box when Wetherington slotted the ball into her, giving her the perfect opportunity to finish inside the left post to finalize the game’s score at 2-1. Molly McSweyn is a sports reporter for The Beacon. You can reach her at mcsweyn18@up.edu.
