In their first overtime contest of the
season, Seattle University women’s soccer (4-2-0) came out on top, topping
Gonzaga, 1-0, on a goal by Stephanie Verdoia (Salt Lake City, Utah) in the
sixth minute of overtime to win the game. This was Verdoia’s second goal of the
season and her second straight goal for the Redhawks, as she scored the game
winning goal in their last contest versus Portland State on Sept. 2.
“It took us a while to adjust to their style
of play,” said head coach Julie Woodward. “They execute a good game plan,
however, I was really pleased with our energy and work ethic at the end of the
second half and overtime. [Brianna Smallidge] made an unbelievable save to keep
us alive and Steph[anie Verdoia] got on the end of [Taylor] Ritzman’s cross for
a great goal to finish the game.”
As both teams played great defense, and with
very little offensive output on either side, Gonzaga (5-3-0) outshot Seattle U
only 4-1 in the first half, as the score remained 0-0 at the halftime buzzer.
Each team picked up their offense in the
second half, as the Redhawks took six additional shots to Gonzaga’s 10 in the
second period, but it was still not enough to score for either side, and the
contest remained 0-0 at the end of regulation.
As Verdoia was the only player to take a shot
in overtime, she took one shot in the 95th minute that was saved by
Gonzaga goalkeeper Susan Brown. However, in the 97th minute, with an
assist by Taylor Ritzman (Holladay, Utah), her second shot of the overtime period
was too much for Brown and it sailed into the net to take the victory for the
Redhawks.
Overall, the Bulldogs outshot the Redhawks
14-9 through two periods of regulation and six minutes of overtime.
Brianna Smallidge started in goal for the
Redhawks, playing the entire match, as did Brown for the Bulldogs. This was
Smallidge’s second career and second straight complete game shutout.
This was the first of four straight road games for
Seattle U, as they will play Pac-12 powerhouses Oregon (Sept. 14) and Oregon
State (Sept. 16) next weekend, and will round out the road stretch at Portland
on Sept. 21. They return home for their final non-conference match, hosting
Utah Valley at 12 p.m. on Sept. 23.
To catch all the action this season, visit www.GoSeattleU.com or call the Redhawk
ticket office at (206) 398-GOSU (4678) to purchase season tickets. Men’s and
women’s soccer season tickets are $75 apiece for reserved seats and $50 for
general admission. Single game tickets are available at the gate 60 minutes
prior to kickoff before each match.
