LIAM GALLIGAN
SPORTS WRITER
On an afternoon when the women’s soccer team celebrated Senior Day, they also came in with hopes of erasing an eight-game losing streak to the Lady Panthers of Pitt-Bradford. The Lady Barons were successful in their mission, but it did not come easily.
Early in the game, both teams played evenly solid offense and defense, with each team only creating brief scoring opportunities. The Lady Panthers were the first to open the scoring, as they registered a goal late in the 20th minute, making the game 1-0 in their favor.
The Lady Barons, however, quickly responded in the 23rd minute, with a goal on a great shot from sophomore midfielder Kate Kilian, tying the game at 1-1. The Lady Barons continued to put the pressure on the Lady Panther defense, and in the 31st minute, senior forward Megan Luiso gave the Lady Barons the lead at 2-1. Franciscan carried the 2-1 lead into halftime.
Early in the second half, it was all Pitt-Bradford offense. The Lady Panthers upped the pressure on the Lady Barons, scoring in the 55th minute and tying the game at 2-2. The Lady Barons continued to move the ball well; in the 81st minute, Kilian scored her second goal of the game, allowing the Lady Barons to regain the lead, seemingly putting the game away. The Lady Barons defense held up nicely as time continued to wind down. However, with less than five seconds remaining in the game, Pitt-Bradford was able to put the ball in the Lady Barons’ net off a late rebound, sending the game into overtime, all tied at 3-3.
In the overtime period, both teams had various opportunities to score but could not connect to make it happen. The Lady Barons were awarded two free kicks, while the Lady Panthers only managed one shot on goal. As time began to expire, senior forward Megan Luiso got ahold of the ball immediately outside the box and blasted it underneath the Pitt-Bradford goalkeeper with 56 seconds left in the extra period, giving the Lady Barons the win. This was Luiso’s second goal of the game, and, perhaps the sweetest, a game-winner on Senior Day.
The Lady Barons continue their conference play on Oct. 10, with an away matchup against Mount Aloysius. Their next home game will be Oct. 18 against Penn State-Altoona at 4:15 p.m.