For the second time in three games, the GW women’s soccer team found itself in double overtime Friday against Robert Morris. Five days before, the Colonials had outplayed Howard in nearly every facet of the game but nonetheless walked away with a draw for their efforts.
This time, however, in a more closely matched contest, they were not fortunate enough to walk away with so much as a neutral result, allowing a goal shortly into the first overtime period and ultimately falling 3-2.
The game’s tight score was indicative of its hard-fought nature, as both teams were whistled for 10 fouls, with a number of the Colonials (2-3-1) taking particularly hard hits. Freshman Samie Cloutier took a blow to the face in the 56th minute that saw her leave the field. In the 70th minute, senior Emily Gower was also injured when she took a hard fall, though she was eventually able to recover and continue playing.
“It was a very physical game,” senior Misa Eiritz said. “We were getting pushed around a little bit, but we handled it well.”
GW initially grabbed the lead in the 24th minute after a pass from the top of the box by freshman Molly Bruh to teammate senior Brittany Eger, who was then able knock the ball into the net for her third goal of the season. The Colonials kept their lead until the 33rd minute, when Robert Morris’ Rachel Sebbens scored on a shot from the top corner of the box that brought the game to a tie that held through halftime.
The score remained knotted until a scramble left the Robert Morris goal clear for an easy shot from Eiritz in the 59th minute. Fifteen minutes later Sebbens scored again to equalize the score.
The game would finally be decided at just over the game’s 103-minute mark, when Robert Morris’ Jess Sharik sneaked a pass behind GW goalkeeper Lindsey Rowe that Ayana Davis put in to break the tie, putting Robert Morris ahead for good.
While the defeat was a disappointing result, the Colonials were not let down with their performance on the field.
“We had a game goal going onto the field and we accomplished our game goal,” Eiritz said.
Head coach Tanya Vogel also remained optimistic despite the loss.
“It was disappointing, but we need to focus on the game plan” of qualifying for the Atlantic 10 postseason, she said. “Although disappointing, (Tuesday’s loss) doesn’t affect us going forward.”
The Colonials will travel to Baltimore for a game with UMBC Friday at 7 p.m. Eiritz said the team is very confident upon heading into the matchup.
“We should definitely win,” she said. “No doubt about it.”
