Sara Bane
Sara Bane had a three point night for the WildCats
3
CarolinaU (Piedmont Int'l) Bruins (0-3-0, 0-0-0)
4
Winner Randolph Cats (1-0-0, 0-0-0)
CarolinaU (Piedmont Int'l) Bruins
(0-3-0, 0-0-0)
3
Final
4
Randolph Cats
(1-0-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CarolinaU (Piedmont Int'l) Bruins 1 2 3
Randolph Cats 1 3 4

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

WildCats Hold Off Bruins 4-3 in Home Opener

LYNCHBURG, Va.- It had been 669 days since the Randolph women's soccer team last played a collegiate game. The wait finally ended Wednesday night as the WildCats hosted Carolina University. Randolph trailed early on but came back to take the lead and withstood a late Bruin rally to win 4-3.

The WildCats had opportunities in the opening minutes of the first half with Makenzie Collins (Roanoke, Va./Lord Botetourt) and Sara Bane (Blue Ridge, Va./Lord Botetourt) both getting off shots that were denied by Carolina keeper Zee Ventura. The Bruins got on the board in the 13th minute. An initial shot by Aaliyah Rubio was turned away by WildCat keeper Alexis Bossi (Falls Church, Va./Justice) but the rebound found its way to Natasha Maraism who was able to put it away in a scrum to give the visitors the 1-0 lead.

Randolph got the equalizer in the 36th minute. Marisa Santacroce (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory) hit a corner kick that went right to Bane who headed it in for the score to even up the game at 1-1.

Both teams got shots on goal in the last 10 minutes of the game despite a torrential downpour making play difficult. The Bruins had three shots on goal in the last three and half minutes of game time that Bossi was able to stop to leave the score at 1-1 at the half.

In the second half, the rain subsided a bit. Bane got a one-on-one with a Bruin defender and scored a goal to the right side of the net to give Randolph a 2-1 lead. Just over 10 minutes later, Joanne Torres (North Chesterfield, Va./Meadowbrook) muscled her way past the Bruin keeper to score her first collegiate goal and increase the 'Cat lead to 3-1. Bane then assisted Santacroce on her goal in the 68th minute to up the Randolph lead to 4-1.

The WildCats seemingly had the game in hand but Carolina did not give up. At 85:31, Rubio scored to make it 4-2. 30 seconds later, a high shot by Hayden Pacheco was saved by Bossi but the ball made its way to Mariam who scored to close the Bruins to 4-3. Randolph was able to keep Carolina off balance for the remainder of the game to hold on for the win.

Total shots favored Randolph 26-14 with the 'Cats get in 13 on frame to nine for the Bruins. Randolph had 11 corner kicks to Carolina's four.

The WildCats travel to William Peace on Saturday. Game time will be at 2:00 p.m.

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