FREDERICK, Md. – A
Madeline Moreno (Mansfield, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) rocket past Randolph-Macon College goalkeeper Valentina Ambrogi-Torres completed the late-game comeback for the Blazers, sending the fans home happy with a 2-1 victory.
Inside the Box Score
Kate Haufe (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) and Moreno both scored for the Blazers.
Emma Numme (Shrub Oak, NY/Lakeland) and
Abby Chiavetta (San Jose, Calif./Leland) assisted on the game-winner.
Allie Wallin (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) made three saves and earned her first collegiate win.
How it Happened
Randolph-Macon's offense started off hot, earning a penalty corner in the first minute of play, but the resulting shot was blocked away before it could get to goal. The Yellow Jackets didn't stop there though, pouring more shots on as they continued to control the offensive zone. A well-placed shot on goal forced a great defensive save by Moreno, but the rebound fell right to the stick of Llana Thach who buried her shot and gave Randolph-Macon a 1-0 lead, where the score would remain at the end of the quarter.
Another early-period penalty corner from the Yellow Jackets threatened to put Hood in a deeper hole, but Wallin stood tall to knock it away, allowing the Blazers a chance to get some looks on offense. Unfortunately, each shot was stopped by Ambrogi-Torres, and a last-minute shot from Numme was saved as well to keep it a 1-0 game at halftime.
Wallin was called on once again as she moved from the post to the center of the goal just in time to stop another good Randolph-Macon shot, and Hood's offense came alive afterward, especially thanks to three penalty corners in a row. The Blazers' offensive struggles continued though, as each good shot was met with an equally good save by Ambrogi-Torres, who was forced to make another save with just seconds to go in the period as her team clung to their one-goal lead as much as possible.
Still looking for an equalizer entering the fourth quarter, Hood continued to pressure the Yellow Jackets defense, picking off passes and forcing turnovers to get more shots on goal, but were once again stopped by a flying Ambrogi-Torres. On the defensive side, Moreno and Chiavetta were blocking as many shots as possible to prevent anything too dangerous from getting to Wallin.
Despite the constant pressure, there seemed to be no way to get a shot past Ambrogi-Torres, but with 58 seconds left,
Ava Snelsire (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) was tripped up on a breakaway to give the Blazers a penalty stroke. Haufe stepped up to take it after scoring one in the previous game against McDaniel, and her shot just trickled through Ambrogi-Torres to tie the game with less than a minute to play. There was quite a scare when the Yellow Jackets got one more penalty corner with just over 30 seconds left, but the pass
in was not received cleanly, allowing Hood to regain possession and ensure the game went to overtime tied 1-1.
The Blazers were given a massive player advantage when a Randolph-Macon player was shown a green card just 21 seconds into the overtime period, and a Hood penalty corner a minute after had the makings of a storybook finish. As Numme received the pass in from Chiavetta, she found a wide-open Moreno on the other side of the circle, who had plenty of time to tee up her shot before drilling it through the legs of Ambrogi-Torres and finish the comeback with a 2-1 win.
For the Opponent
Thach scored the lone goal for the Yellow Jackets.
Ambrogi-Torres made 13 saves.
Up Next
The Blazers travel to Winchester, Virginia for their first road game of the season against Shenandoah University Wednesday, September 10 at 6 p.m.
