Box Score NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Sacred Heart women's soccer team was held to six shots on Friday in a 1-0 loss to the Iona Gaels at Mazzella Field.
Iona (2-1) controlled possession early in the first half Friday, firing two shots in the first five minutes. Charlotte Stuart sent a header wide off of a corner and Erika Flowers had a shot blocked for the Gaels. Those were the only two shots for Iona, as a majority of the play in the first half was in midfield. While Sacred Heart made a couple ambitious runs into the Iona third of the field early in the game, the Pioneers didn't take their first shot until the 16th minute when Jillian Picinich sent an attempt at goal wide of the mark. Emily Dawidczyk (Oxford, Mass.) had the first shot on goal in the match in the 34th minute, but the Gaels' goalkeeper Lauren Ferris stopped it. Dawidczyk capped off the Pioneers' best scoring opportunity in the 37th minute with her second shot on goal, but Ferris came off her line to make the save and keep the game scoreless heading into halftime.
Sacred Heart (1-1) came close to breaking through very early into the second half. Marissa Christy (Massapequa, N.Y.) put a shot on goal two minutes into the half that was saved by Ferris. Iona kept knocking on the door, firing three straight shots with Sacred Heart goalkeeper Talia Schwartz (Roslyn, N.Y.) having to make one save. The Gaels got on the scoreboard in the 70th minute. Stuart had a shot blocked inside the 18-yard box, with Safi Ayinde pouncing on the loose ball to knock it into the net. Ayinde almost added a second goal but Schwartz made a save to keep the score 1-0 with 19 minutes remaining. The Pioneers had a chance to tie the game with 1:30 to play as Dawidczyk made a run into the Iona offensive end. However, her shot hit the side-netting and Iona ran out the clock for the win.
The Gaels outshot the Pioneers 13-6 for the game, and 11-3 in the second half. Sacred Heart had six corner kicks on the day, five of which came in the first half. Iona had seven corner kicks. Both goalkeepers, Ferris for Iona and Schwartz for Sacred Heart, had three saves.
The Pioneers return to Campus Field on Sunday, August 31 for a 1 p.m. game against Saint Peter's.
