| |
UConn Tops Columbia 2-1 In NCAA First Round Game; Will Play Texas In Second
Round Sunday
Boxscore -- HTML
Boxscore -- PDF
 STORRS, Conn. (November
10, 2006) -- Junior forward Karyn Riviere (Guilford,
Conn.) tallied three points and had the game-winning assist as the University of
Connecticut women’s soccer team scored two second half goals in a span of under
nine minutes en route to a 2-1 win over Columbia in the first round of the NCAA
Women’s College Cup Friday afternoon at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium.
UConn (11-7-3) advances to the second round of the NCAA College
Cup on Sunday against Texas at 1 p.m. at Morrone Stadium. Texas was a 4-0 winner
over LIU in another NCAA first round game in Storrs on Friday. The
Huskies opened the first half on a tear as both the UConn offense
and defense controlled the pace of the game. Despite a scoreless opening half,
UConn totaled 16 shots while limiting the Lions to just two. In fact, UConn’s
defense allowed two shots in the first 19 minutes, but finished the final 26
minutes of the half without surrendering a shot.
The UConn offense came within inches of taking an early 1-0 lead midway
through the first half as UConn produced three legitimate scoring chances on the
same play. Junior midfielder Meghan Schnur (Butler, Pa.) dribbled to her
left and blasted a left-footed shot on goal that hit the crossbar and deflected
back into play. Riviere gathered the rebound and fired a shot towards the Lion
net, only to have Columbia keeper Allison Vespa make a diving save to send the
ball back into play as well. Sophomore Elizabeth Eng (Chicago, Ill.) next
sent a header towards the goal that Vespa saved cleanly to negate the scoring
opportunity.
Midway through the second stanza at 61:06, Riviere finally broke the scoring
draught with her sixth goal of the season to give the Huskies a 1-0 advantage.
Schnur fired another shot on goal that Vespa saved initially, but Riviere pushed
home the rebound before Vespa was able to corral the loose ball.
Minutes later at 68:02, Columbia evened the score when the Lions capitalized
on corner kick. Shannon Munoz took the kick and placed the ball into the Husky
net where Emma Judkins notched her third goal of the season with a header in the
left corner of the net.
 Less
than three minutes later, at 70:30, junior Alexandra Zedros (Melrose,
Mass.) tallied the game-winning goal on her second goal of the season. Schnur
dribbled down the left flank and played the ball forward to Riviere who sent a
cross into the Lion box. Zedros trapped the ball and knocked home the winner
with a right-footed shot past Vespa near post. For Zedros, the goal was her
first goal scored since the season-opening game against Hofstra.
From that point on the Husky defense allowed just one Columbia shot over the
final 20 minutes of the game. Sophomore keeper Stephanie Labbe (Stony
Plain, Alberta) needed to make just one save for the win, extending her personal
unbeaten streak to eight games. |
