Senior captain Megan Verel (Aurora, OH/Aurora) took a great deal of abuse but sustained to help the Terriers produce their first win this season.

The Terriers battled D’Youville College this afternoon in a tremendously tight and physical match for 97 minutes and prevailed with a 1:0 overtime victory over the Spartans at Riverside High School Stadium on the north side of Buffalo, N.Y.  A long bus ride and an unfamiliar and extremely narrow pitch were not enough to stop Hiram from playing extremely well and effectively.

Captains, senior midfielder Megan Verel (Aurora, OH/ Aurora) and junior midfielder Kelsey Martin (Austintown, OH/ Fitch) stood up to an extreme level of physical midfield play and bore the brunt of a number of late challenges to lead the team with a great amount of energy.

“We knew this was going to be a physical match due to the size of the field,” said 10th-year head coach Bob Dean.  “But, there was a point in which 26 fouls really gets out of hand.  I am so proud of the way our leadership stayed composed and held up to the frequent and persistent fouling.”

The first half was evenly matched with quite a few shots on goal by both teams and a number of half chances.  Sophomore keeper Kailie Reed (Wadsworth, OH/Wadsworth) came up big in the 5th minute by closing the space and stopping a clear breakaway that would have potentially turned the match very early.  The Terriers made great connections through their passing and midfield play and stretched the hosts out a number of times to create chances.  Neither side generated a corner in the first half but the Terriers held an edge in quality chances 7:3 and shots 5:2.  Hiram used their depth to run 17 players at the Spartans in the first stanza as well.  Both sides played hard through the final minutes by continuing to pressure each back line. The first half ended scoreless.

After the half time break, the Terriers took a different approach tactically and adjusted to the unusual shape and tactic that D’Youville was committing to.  “Their shape was unusual but made great sense on the size of the field,” said Dean.  “So, we had to adjust and adapt and it created some of the problems for them we wanted to create and allowed us to keep the ball a bit more and release players forward.”

As the fouling by the Spartans continued, Hiram was able to benefit with quick restarts but was unable to sustain as much possession.  Freshman forwards Ali Cowell (Bridgeton, MO/Duchesne) and Robynn McGroarty (Oakville, ON/Loyola Catholic) were effective but unable to create the finished product.

The Terriers started strong in the first 10-minute period of overtime with a quick run up the field with multiple passes and connections. They were stopped by D’Youville defense and forced to defend their own goal during a counter-attack.   Following the early back and forth action, both sides looked fatigued and unable to generate the necessary chance.

Then, four minutes into overtime, the Terriers got a great turn and run from Freshman forward Katie Mauch (Parma, OH/Normandy) who was taken down and fouled just outside the penalty area setting up a direct free kick. A perfectly executed set play allowed freshman midfielder Allie Glatt (Cincinnati, OH/ Seton) to strike her first collegiate goal and her first match winner of her career past the outstretched hands of the D’Youville keeper in the 97th minute. This “golden goal” brought the Terriers onto the pitch to enjoy the win.

Sophomore midfielder Caitlin Elkins (Green, OH/ Green), when asked how she felt about the match and result stated, “I think the team kept great composure throughout the game with all of the fouling. We read the game well and connected with each other. Scoring the goal in overtime off of a set piece was just awesome!”

The Terriers open their season with a 1-0-0 record and will bring that along with them on the road again Tuesday when they travel to Cresson, PA to play Mt. Aloysius College (1-0-0) in the first ever tie between the two institutions.  The match is set for 5:00 p.m. start.

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