Paul Williams
On Sept. 18 the Cabrini Lady Cavaliers soccer team battled the two-time Pennsylvania Athletic Conference defending champions, the Arcadia Knights. The game wouldn’t go into just overtime but double over time. Unfortunately for the Ladies, they could not capitalize on their momentum in the overtime periods, and the game would end in a 2-2 tie.
The game was a tough and physical war. In total there were 36 fouls called in the game. Even the coach for Arcadia managed to draw a yellow card from the referee. It was a game that had the players limping and the fans on the edge of their seats. After the game, as Jaime Matozzo said, “This game proved that the entire team has a lot of heart and that we can go as far as we want to, if we play as a team with heart.”
The first half started off back and forth with both teams gaining momentum, until the Cavaliers managed to score with 7:05 left in the first half. An early yellow card given to Amanda Schmesser of Arcadia gave the Cavaliers the opportunity that they needed. Kristen Luft passed the ball to Patricia Bradley who scored the first goal in the game. The goalie for Arcadia then ripped the knee brace from off her knee and threw it to the ground in spite. Cabrini controlled the tempo from there for the rest of the first half. Jaime Matozzo, who is a senior and a team captain, could be heard over the crowd after making a play. She said, “Pick it up Cabrini, don’t give up.” The first half ended with Cabrini leading 1-0.
The second half began with a change of pace. Arcadia started to pressure Cabrini early on and with 35:22 left in regulation. Arcadia scored on a kick from Mandy Seymour that just got past freshman goalie Mary Mower. Cabrini would strike back quickly with a goal of their own.
After two Arcadia penalties, Jessica Storck, a team captain for the Cavaliers, pushed the ball up the field from the defensive end. The ball went out of bounds on Arcadia and setup a corner kick for Cabrini. Senior Cathy O’ Neil kicked the ball that was headed in by number 3 Ellen Casiero. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers there was still 31:50 left in regulation. Julia Bergson-Shilcock, number 9 on Arcadia, tied the game 2-2 with 22:55 left in regulation. The head coach of Arcadia, Art Goon, was given a yellow card at 5:34 left in the second half. The penalty motivated Cabrini, and the Cavaliers drove the ball down the field with a chance to score. Each shot that the Ladies took, looked like a previous shot. They barely missed the net and some fans suspected that they actually had a goal on a questionable call. The ball bounced around the net several times, and people thought it may have gone over the line before the Arcadia goalie dived over it, to make the save.
Though neither team scored in either of the final two overtime periods, the Cavaliers had the tempo after the second half till the end of the second overtime. Head coach, Dianne Pierangeli said, “We told the freshman that they needed to step up in this divisional game against a rival like Arcadia. I was impressed by our goalie Mary Mower and by Heather St. Amour, who is our sweeper back. They really stepped it up for two young freshman players.” After the game, Jessica Storck, said, “This game proves how far we can go as a team, and that we have the ability to beat anyone.”
