Marist women’s soccer stood strong on defense in a scoreless draw against the Merrimack Warriors, with junior goalkeeper Maddy Catalanotti making seven saves in the shutout performance.
Merrimack had ten shots to Marist’s nine, but more also led in shots on net with seven to Marist’s three. Notching many corner-kick opportunities, Marist stood strong on every threat that the Warriors posed.
Marist came out of the gate spirited as junior midfielder Olivia Lindsay intercepted a pass in Merrimack territory. Lindsay delivered a great cross in the box to junior forward Anna Maggi, but graduate student Lily Morgan got a hand on Maggi’s shot and made the save.
The Red Foxes continued to push the ball into Merrimack territory, generating a couple more solid opportunities and even appeared to score, but the shot was quickly called off due to offsides.
Merrimack found their first chance after being awarded a corner kick at the 11th minute. Junior goalkeeper Maddy Catalanotti deflected the corner, but it went right to senior midfielder Jillian Golden who immediately put a shot on the net. Graduate student defender/midfielder Keegan Mayer saved the day and blocked the ball for an eventual Marist clearance, ending the chance for the Warriors.
“Keegan [Mayer] has been outstanding,” said Pacapelli. “When you talk about consistent competitiveness, I think of Keegan Mayer on the field. She’s been outstanding for us and obviously making a big play like that is just a testament to who she is as a player.”
The Red Foxes had one of their three corner kicks in the 44th minute, but failed to contribute a goal. The defense-driven first half concluded with fairly even numbers across the board.
The Warriors came out firing to start the back half of the match, with senior forward Ella Cormier getting a shot on net in the first 20 seconds, but Catalanotti was there to make the save.
Merrimack continued to control the second half in the 63rd minute, as sophomore midfielder Emily Webb got a solid shot on the net right around the top of the box. Catalonotti, the anchor of the Marist defense, had an athletic save on the ball to stop the threat.
The Warriors had a short breakaway that could have turned into trouble for the Red Foxes, but junior defender Emily Dovico hustled back to make the stop and shut down the opportunity. Dovico was also able to deflect the ball off Merrimack, turning what had a good chance of being a corner kick into a goal kick.
“We’ve been talking a lot in practice about how to track in the box, being ball side-goal side and making sure we were gutsy and gritty enough to track those runners,” said Pacapelli. “I think today was a really good example.”
Merrimack had another shot on net in the 79th minute with Cormier having a second go at it. Despite a more crafty shot, Catalonotti lept up and snagged the attempt to keep the game tied.
“I think Maddy, along with the rest of the group, are starting to regain some confidence in themselves and just marching back after our little September slump,” said Pacapelli. “Maddy’s obviously a huge piece of that.”
The Warriors had one last opportunity, getting the last of their seven corner kicks in the 86th minute and falling to cash in.
Aside from the on-field events, Marist honored and played for all those affected by breast cancer, with the players wearing pink socks and warmup shirts. The team worked with Miles of Hope, a nonprofit organization that aims to raise money for those affected by breast cancer across the Hudson Valley, New York.
“My fiance’s mother has breast cancer, there’s people in my family that have it and I know a lot of the girls know people that have been affected,” Pacapelli said. “We talk about playing for things bigger than ourselves and just adding a love and competitive piece, so it helps with that gritty part and just being able to play for something more than just the game of soccer.”
Marist will head over to Hamden, Connecticut to take on Quinnipiac next Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
Edited by Dan Aulbach
Graphic: Kira Crutcher
Photo Credit: Stockton Photo
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