The Marist women’s soccer team held a lead and gave it away for the second time this season in a 1-1 draw with Binghamton in the final game of a three-game homestand on Thursday night at Tenney Stadium.
Marist started the game once again without All-MAAC Preseason junior midfielder Amanda Caldarelli, who has not been medically cleared to play. The offense struggled in the opening minutes as they were not connecting passes, and they were unable to create chances. Both teams were feeling each other out in the opening ten minutes.
Marist sophomore defender Grace Hennig made a solid play in the 13th minute when she chased down Binghamton’s freshman forward Lauren Clark and tapped the ball back to graduate student goalkeeper Natalie Kelchner. The Red Fox backline was excellent in the first half as they were slowing down the Binghamton attack.
The Red Foxes’ first chance came in the 17th minute when junior defender Samantha Caldarelli sent a through ball to fifth-year forward Nicole Colantuono whose shot was saved by Binghamton’s senior goalkeeper Nicole Scott. Scott is the reigning America East Defender of the Week.
Marist found the breakthrough goal in the 33rd minute when junior forward/midfielder Bridget Dudziec capitalized on a mistake from Binghamton junior defender Lexi Vegoda. Dudziec pressed Vegoda immediately after losing the ball and caught her by surprise before taking one dribble and firing the ball into the bottom left corner for her first career collegiate goal.
Marist kept the momentum for the remainder of the first half, and their defense kept Binghamton’s senior forward Maya Anand in check. Anand was the Bearcats leading goalscorer a year ago and scored the game-winner in their victory over Temple. Kelchner made a save in the 43rd minute on a shot from junior midfielder Victoria McKnight to keep the Red Foxes’ lead at one heading into the half.
Kelchner kept the Red Fox lead intact in the opening minutes of the second half as she had a diving save to her right on Anand in the 48th minute. In the 53rd minute, Kelchner made another save on Anand on a breakaway.
However, Anand would not be denied for long as she ended the Red Foxes’ hopes of their first win in the 57th minute. Binghamton senior midfielder Olivia McKnight played in a cross that found the foot of Anand for the tap-in finish past Kelchner. The Red Fox defense lost sight of Anand on the play, and it cost them. The goal is indicative of the young roster and their inability to close out games early on this season.
The Red Fox offense struggled to produce quality chances following the goal, and they relied on Kelchner to preserve the draw. Kelchner remained strong in net as she made a big save on Clarke in the 72nd minute. Anand had a shot off of the post in the 78th minute, which would be the last quality chance of the game for Binghamton. Kelcher made one final save in the 86th minute to preserve the 1-1 draw for Marist.
Marist wraps their three-game homestand at 0-1-2, and they had opportunities to win these games. The Red Foxes are showing improvements offensively as they have scored three goals already this season, with each one being the first collegiate goal for that player. Marist also needs to get their defense on track as they have yet to record a clean sheet this season, which was a strength for them a year ago.
The Red Foxes will have to make these adjustments quickly as they head on the road for the first time to take on Cornell on Sunday, August 28, at 1 p.m.
Edited by Jonathan Kinane
Photo from Jonathan Kinane