Box Score For immediate release – 10/24/2015 - #089
Randolph Homecoming Spoiled by Eagles
LYNCHBURG, VA – With Homecoming 2015 festivities going on, the Randolph College women's soccer team fell to Bridgewater College 2-0 on Saturday night in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play, despite Stephanie Quirk stopping 16 shots in the game.
The Eagles attacked early on, putting four shots on net in the first 4:17. However, Quirk proved to be a brick wall, stopping all four in a variety of ways, diving for two of them. Two minutes later, BC sent a shot wide, and the game settled down for 10 minutes. Then, the WildCats called on Quirk three more times in a four-minute period, and she continued to stymy Bridgewater.
While Quirk was the most notable member of the backline holding the Eagles out, Alex Abernathy, Erin McClelland, and Taylor Gamble blocked several shots in the half. But the Eagles kept pushing and Quirk again made three saves. However, in the 39th, BC broke through as Alycia Giauque found Katherine Wright in the box for her first. Quirk made two more stops in the half to keep the deficit at one.
The defense picked up its pressure in the second half, blocking several shots once again. McClelland, Maggie Croft, and Alissa Gembach stopped several attacks and pushed the team forward, but could not find the equalizer. Quirk continued to make stops but saw fewer come her way in the stanza, but she rose to the occasion each time.
In the 86th, Gembach sent a shot in from 30 yards out but it could not find the back of the net. The WildCats continued to push, but Bridgewater added a late goal to seal the victory.
Bailey Kratz scored the second goal for the Eagles (9-5-1 overall, 6-2-1 ODAC). Quirk's 16 saves was the second-highest total of her career.
Randolph (5-10-1, 3-6) returns to the road on Wednesday. The WildCats will play at Randolph-Macon College at 4 p.m. in an important ODAC matchup, as teams fight for positioning in the upcoming ODAC Tournament.
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