Boston University women’s soccer team (4-4-3, 1-1-1 Patriot League) traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to take on the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks (3-3-4, 0-2-1 PL) on a rainy Sunday afternoon, where they clawed back from 2-0 down to tie 2-2.
The early stages of the game saw both defenses stand strong, with each offense struggling to maintain possession long enough to create chances on goal.
Lehigh’s first opportunity of the game came in the 24th minute, when junior forward Corinne Lyght latched onto a through ball in the box, but junior goalkeeper Celia Braun made the save.
BU head coach Casey Brown was pleased with Braun, who played well to keep the Terriers level in the first half.
“She was really ready when she needed to step up,” Brown said. “I thought she had a good performance overall.”
BU’s best chance of the half came off a free kick that led to pandemonium in the box. Bodies hit the ground and the Terriers frantically tried to get the ball in the back of the net. Nothing materialized, and Lehigh cleared the ball.
During the final minute of the half, Lehigh barely missed out on the first goal of the game when freshman forward Aminah Baruwa rang the right post with a strike from just outside the box.
The score was knotted at zero at the break after a rain-soaked, competitive half that left both teams feeling good about their chances of finding a coveted first goal.
Both sides came out flying in the second half, but Lehigh seized the momentum in the 49th minute when senior forward Ava Schaller ripped a shot from the top of the box. However, she was unable to beat Braun as the junior made a spectacular save.
Schaller broke through in the 59th minute when she sent a ball into the box, seemingly intended to find a teammate. The ball soared over Braun’s outstretched hand and found the back of the net to give the Mountain Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Lehigh continued to fire on all cylinders. They scored again in the 64th minute when Lyght’s cross into the box grazed the head of a teammate before landing at the feet of junior midfielder Hope Flanegin, who did the rest to stretch the home team’s lead to 2-0 with 25 minutes to go.
The Terriers didn’t let the deficit faze them, though. They continued to play aggressively and looked to crawl their way back into the game. They were rewarded with a free kick in their attacking third, and the ball sent in by junior midfielder Eileen Solomon found fellow midfielder, sophomore Natalie Godoy, in the box. Godoy finished the job and cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 81st minute.
The Terriers kept their foot on the gas and a minute later, Godoy drew a penalty to give BU a shot at equalizing. Sophomore midfielder Giulianna Gianino took the penalty kick and drove the ball into the top left corner to tie the game at 2-2, the score that would stick.
After going down two, Brown got the response she was looking for from her team.
“To see the team fight back and have faith in our way was important,” Brown said.
Brown also spoke highly of Godoy, who scored the first BU goal and drew the penalty that led to the second, noting her toughness to create those chances.
“We know she has great finishing ability in and around the box and she showcased that tonight,” Brown said.
The Terriers have a week to prepare for their next game on Oct. 1, where they’ll travel to Annapolis, Maryland to take on Navy (6-3-3, 1-2 PL) at 1 p.m.
Coach Brown was satisfied with four points in her team’s last two games and said their focus is on finding ways to be more dangerous in attack.
“There’s a lot of positives,” Brown said. “We just want to continue to take steps each game.”
