DeLand, Fla. ? Stetson scored three goals in the second half and held on for an important victory over Kennesaw State Sunday afternoon at the Stetson Soccer Complex. The 3-2 win represented the first time in the two teams' short history (four games) that the Hatters defeated the two-time defending A-Sun champions. Their first meeting was in 2005.
After a 0-0 first half the teams wasted no time and lit up the board with three goals in the first 3 minutes and 49 seconds of the second.
Stetson's Emily Ware (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was first up with a goal at 45:27. After the kickoff Bethany Kiedis (West Palm Beach, Fla.) made a run up the right side and delivered a cross that found Ware in the middle. Ware controlled the pass and booted a low shot to the left side for her first goal of the season.
Also feeling the offensive momentum of the second half, Kennesaw State's Rachel Baer (Marietta, Ga.) answered just two and a half minutes later at 47:57 and tied the score at one.
Determined not to let her team's high fade after KSU's quick answer, Ware scored her second goal at 48:49 after being sent in on a breakaway by Tessa Gavilsky (Granite City, Ill.). Ware broke through a pair of defenders, accepted the touch pass from Gavilsky, and neatly tucked a left footer past KSU Goalkeeper Staci Pugh (Fayetteville, Ga.).
“We had an answer for everything they threw at us today,” said Hatters Head Coach Julie Orlowski. “On Friday we had excuses, today we had answers!”
Stetson kept the pressure on and continued to control the flow of play until striking one more time. At 62:05 Emily Yero (St. Petersburg, Fla.) scored a nifty goal from the right side near the edge of the box. She created an opening for herself and then floated a high arching shot that sailed over the keeper and dropped into the goal for the game-winner. It was just rewards for a player that fought extremely hard after being beaten and battered all game long.
KSU scored a late goal at 81:34 to make things interesting, yet Stetson was not to be denied and held on for the win.
“The leadership that was missing Friday showed up three-fold today,” said Orlowski. “I am very proud of our girls for keeping the pressure on all day. Ware rose above some great team play and scored two goals, and Yero battled through a physical game and scored the winning goal.”
“Did you see her face after she scored that one?” she added.
It was all smiles for the Hatters at the end of an impressive win.
The next game for Stetson will be Saturday, October 4 vs. Campbell in Buies Creek, North Carolina. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
