Aug. 22, 2004
Contact: Brian McCann
ERIE, Pa. -- Less than one week before making its official debut as a varsity sport, the CSU women's soccer team made an unofficial one on Sunday, dropping a 3-1 decision to Mercyhurst in the lone exhibition contest of the preseason. "This was just about what I expected," head coach Derrek Falor said. "There were some very positive signs at times but we weren't able to sustain our level of play in any area of the game for a long enough period to say that we are ready for our opener this week. "We have been practicing as a team for only 10 days now and this was our first opportunity to face a live opponent so the initial jitters and confusion were to be expected. "It is hard to prepare the team for the speed and physical nature of collegiate soccer by practicing, you have to play games. That was apparent early in the match when we were pushed around a little bit. "I was happy that we were able to make adjustments and show improvement as the match progressed," Falor added. "By the end of the third period, we were being much more aggressive and consequently, we made some plays that we didn't make earlier in the day. That's a good sign." With eight freshmen in the starting lineup, the nervousness showed early. Mercyhurst took a 1-0 lead just 15 minutes into the match when miscommunication between the Viking defense and goalie Ashley Kidwell resulted in an easy goal. Mercyhurst senior Cheryl Wright intercepted an errant pass from Kidwell and redirected it into the goal from 20 yards out. The Lakers made it 2-0 during the 54th minute when Lisa Casemont took a cross from Kelly Oldach in heavy traffic and beat goalie Allie Zajaros to the right side. The Vikings broke onto the scoreboard in the 58th minute when freshman Jennifer Wieand took a long pass from freshman defender Maggie Pugliese, dribbled through a pair of defenders and past goalie Karen Eade before banging a shot home from 10 yards. "Jennifer made a nice play on the goal," Falor said. "She was a goal-scorer in high school so she is comfortable creating scoring opportunities for herself." The final goal of the match came in the 77th minute when Mercyhurst sophomore Maria Amicome came up with a loose ball in the box off a cornerkick and redirected it past Zajaros. Despite the score, Falor was optimistic about the performance of the Vikings, singling out freshmen Shayna Back, Heather Clapacs and Wieand as having strong performances. The Vikings have five days to get ready for the season opener against Kent State, which will be played on Friday, August 27 beginning at 7 p.m. at Foltz Field in Strongsville.
