COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Trine University women's soccer team attempted a comeback after surrendering two early goals but came up short dropping their game against Capital University 2-1.
"I'm proud of the team's resolve today," said head coach Gary Boughton, "Battling back from two down and nearly tying the game several times. We will take that with us going forward."
The first chance for either team came in the second minute of play in favor of the Thunder. After the defense forced a turnover in their own end, the ball ended up on the foot of junior Bella Mabry who played a beautiful pass up the field. Sophomore Abby Robison collected the ball behind the Comets defense and fired a shot on goal, forcing a save.
In the tenth minute of play, Capital got their first chance after gaining possession near midfield. A great pass put Sophie Aschemeier under pressure in goal for Trine. The Junior was able to turn aside the first shot and left the rebound in decent position just outside the right post. The Comets somehow got a foot on it and curved it back into the goal.
There second goal came just under two minutes later. This time the team worked the ball up the field before powering it by Aschemeier to give the Comets a 2-0 lead.
The two teams traded blows over the next 20 minutes with both keepers staying busy. In the 29th minute of play the Thunder received a free kick near midfield and played it sideways before going toward the net. Senior Megan Davis moved into the penalty area before passing off to classmate Olivia Argentieri who came up with the goal, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
The active first half saw Capital outshoot Trine 8-5 and 6-4 on goal. The Comets increased that deficit in the second half making the final totals 22-10 and 12-5. Aschemeier settled in during the second period making six saves to end the game with ten in the contest.
Despite the shot totals, the Thunder nearly tied the game in the final minutes. The team received a free kick from 30-yards away from the net with Francesca Fronczak taking the opportunity. The sophomore fired a beautiful ball that struck the crossbar of the net and bounced down just in front of the goal line before rebounding out and away from danger.
Trine falls to 2-2-4 following the tight loss. They will continue their season when they host Anderson (Ind.) University on Wednesday, September 20. The game is set to be played in Zollner Stadium and will begin at 7 p.m.