Women’s soccer remains undefeated in the Atlantic 10 after toppling St. Bonaventure Sunday.
As rain poured down, the Colonials (12-1-3, 7-0-1 A-10) defeated the Bonnies (6-9-1, 2-5-1 A-10) two goals to one in a hard-fought match. The team sits at No. 1 in the A-10 with two games left after Saint Louis tied George Mason.
“Getting two goals early I think was super helpful,” head coach Michelle Demko said. “I thought in the first half, our speed of play really broke their pressure and we were able to break lines early and play fine penetrated balls.”
Both of the team’s goals came in the first half. Redshirt sophomore forward Rachel Sorkenn and sophomore defender Madi Coyne netted one goal apiece. Coyne said the downpour forced the team to change its game plan because a “huge puddle” sat in the middle of the field.
“The ball would get stuck,” Coyne said, referring to the puddle. “So we tried our best to play on the outside as much as possible.”
GW came out strong in the first half despite the weather and captured an early lead in the eighth minute of play, when redshirt senior midfielder/forward Sofia Pavon lobbed a ball into the box for junior midfielder Kelly Amador. Amador settled and kicked the ball into Sorkenn’s path, who finished the play into the bottom left corner of the net.
“Obviously it was sloppy because of the rain, but I think we came out hard and had good speed of play,” Sorkenn said. “We knew when we got one we would have the momentum.”
The Colonials continued to apply offensive pressure throughout the half and broke through St. Bonaventure’s defense again in the 26th minute. After senior defender Olivia Di Cristofaro snagged one of the team’s eight corner kicks, Pavon sent a ball into the box. Coyne got on the end of it and finished with a powerful header past the keeper.
St. Bonaventure never managed to threaten GW’s lead. At the end of the half, the Colonials headed into the locker room ahead by two goals and outshooting the Bonnies 9-5.
In the second half, the Bonnies came out energized against a flat Colonial defense, earning two corner kicks and hammering one shot toward the goal in the first 10 minutes of play.
“Their style became more direct in the second half,” Demko said. “St. Bonaventure was more possession oriented in the first half. They just came out and it was really one dimensional and incredibly direct.”
GW conceded a goal in the 56th minute after a header from freshman midfielder Amber Achladis bounced off a defender and into the back of the net. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Tamaki Machi notched five saves on the day.
Despite the early goal, the Colonials held strong throughout the rest of the half, stifling any scoring opportunities from the Bonnies and closing out the game 2–1.
“The rain didn’t help, but I think they did come out in the second half and they wanted it,” Sorkenn said. “We were a little slow, but we came out with the right result.”
The Colonials will return to action on the road against George Mason Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
