The New Haven women’s soccer team fumbled their at-home advantage against Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) on Thursday, Oct. 3, losing 3-1 in a game that put them on a three-year losing streak against their biggest rival.
In just the first minute of play, the Owls claimed their gamelong advantage with a goal by forward Victoria Vera, assisted by midfielder Taylor Hennig. This seemed to set the momentum for SCSU, until the seventh minute where the Chargers managed to claim their first and only score of the game in a penalty shot earned and taken by forward Vickie Fleming.
With the score having quickly tied, the play was almost immediately followed by an attempt by SCSU defender Caileigh Driscol that was saved by goalkeeper Caitlin Daley. However, forward Kelsey Burr made it a 2-1 game on a penalty kick in the ninth minute.
Fleming soon after made a hopeful second attempt on goal that found itself out on the top left.
Vera had two more strong chances to add to SCSU’s lead, but both were not converted as the score remained 2-1, leaving hope for a Chargers comeback in the second half.
Back-to-back corner kicks from the Chargers were followed by a good chance for midfielder Alida Bates to tie the game at two and another chance for defender Janayah Body, who was out on top and defender Cypress Levitt, who was blocked in the bottom center of the net.
The score almost tied in the final seconds of the first half when Bates, seeking a comeback following back-to-back fouls on her teammates, made a flawless shot that wound up saved by SCSU goalie Abby Aughe in the bottom right.
The Chargers outshot the Owls again in the second half, but they were unable to capitalize on any of the chances as they played from behind all game.
Possession was not the name of the game this time around, with the Chargers racking up missed opportunities despite their dominating control of the ball.
New Haven forward Macy Litalien put in the greatest effort of the game from both sides, taking a whopping four shots on goal by the end of the second half.
It took all the way until the final minutes of play for Southern to secure their third point, with Hennig seeing her second assist of the day in a goal by Burr.
Bates made one final attempt to score before the clock ran out, locking in another unfortunate Charger loss in the Elm City matchup.
The New Haven Chargers will return to the field on Oct. 11 when they face up against Molloy University back on their home turf at 4 p.m. For a complete rundown of upcoming matchups, head to NewHavenChargers.com.
