Pictured Above: Junior captain Kaitlyn Ross (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 
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Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College women's soccer team fought valiantly in the Northeast Conference (NEC) home opener on Friday evening but a late first-half goal from Bryant proved to be the deciding factor as the Seahawks fell 1-0 to the Bulldogs at Hameline Field.
 
With the loss, the Green & White fall to 1-9 on the year and 0-2 in conference play while Bryant improves to 6-4 and unbeaten in league play at 2-0.
 
Wagner was tested early in the contest as Remi Manna put a shot on goal that was turned aside by senior goalkeeper Katie Viscardi. On the ensuing Seahawk possession, junior captain, Maria Nunez, received the pass from sophomore teammate, Le'la Allen, but her shot attempt misfired right of the goal.
 
Bryant narrowly scored the first goal of the contest in the 10' minute as Manna again challenged Viscardi, this time receiving the ball off a throw in and traveling down the left hash before chipping a shot attempt high that Viscardi was able to snag in the air.  
 
Two minutes later, the home team nearly capitalized on its scoring chance as junior captain, Kaitlyn Ross, was able to settle the loose ball and fire a laser of a shot attempt that sailed right of the goal. The visitors had back-to-back opportunities to break the stalemate, but Alex Spangler and Cayla D'Amico's attempts both went right of the target, keeping the match knotted at zero.
 
In the 40' minute, sophomore Mya Donnelly was able to create a scoring chance but was denied by Bryant's Meghan Dalton. A minute later, the Bulldogs were able to break the tie and take a 1-0 lead thanks to Katie Cronin burying the one-timer off the give-and-go from teammate Alex Ralph.
 
Wagner narrowly evened the match at 1-1 in the 43' minute as sophomore Mattea Reale's shot was turned aside by Dalton after the second-year Seahawk got the header pass from Allen but couldn't net the equalizer.
 
As play resumed for the second half, Wagner had the first chance as Ross' curled the ball wide right of the target. The home eleven had a pair of chances a minute apart from each other as sophomore Madison Starr's attempt was denied by Dalton. Allen's attempt in the 67' minute sailed high over the net after she got the pass from junior captain, Christine Letendre.
 
With just five minutes remaining in regulation. Wagner played more aggressively in looking for the tying-score as in the 85' minute freshman Gabby Cipriano's attempt went high. With two minutes left, senior captain Peyton Beck was able to create space and fire a shot on goal that was pushed aside by Dalton.
 
Wagner furiously rushed to setup a last second corner kick as Nunez was able to send the ball deep in the box, but the ball was cleared out of the box by a Bryant defender, sealing the victory for the visiting Bulldogs.
 
The Seahawks held a 13-9 edge in shots in the contest with six of those finding its way on goal. Bryant was credited with five shots on goal. Allen, Ross, Nunez and Starr were each credited with two shots while six Seahawks had a shot on target (Donnelly, Beck, Allen, Barone, Reale and Starr. Viscardi made four saves in the contest, running her career total to 165, which is now 18 away from being in sole possession of third-place on the all-time career saves list.
 
Wagner will be back in action on Sunday, September 30, as the Green & White will welcome Central Connecticut to Grymes Hill for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff at Hameline Field.

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