Down 1-0 late in the game, Marist needed a hero. Instead, the Red Foxes got two.
In the 87th minute, freshman midfielder Sophia McElliot and junior midfielder Julia Oliveria ran down the left side of the field looking to tie the match and steal a point. McElliot found an opening and passed to Oliveria, who scored from the left side of the box. Her first of the season, and in a critical moment.
Not satisfied, McElliot won the ball back at midfield and put junior forward Arianna Mullin through in behind. Mullin beat the defenders and wass one-on-one with junior goalkeeper Kayla Kalbaugh. Kalbaugh came far out of her net, and with only 20 seconds left in the game, Mullin shot it past her from outside the box to give the Red Foxes the win.
Marist now moves to 6-8-1 overall on the year, and 6-3-1 in the Metro. They sat at fifth in the conference with sixteen points coming into today. Today’s win over Iona (5-8-2, 2-6-1) puts them at nineteen points and will go a long way in their push for a spot in the Metro conference tournament.
The lone goal for Iona came off a tough Marist mistake in the 63rd. Junior Defender Riley Benito slid hard into a Gael in her own box and, after review, the referees awarded Iona a penalty. Senior midfielder Marissa Graziano beat a diving junior goalkeeper Samantha Graf to put the Gaels up.
This was the second penalty that Benito has conceded this season after she hit a ball with her hand in the first half against Fairfield, which gave the Stags a 2-1 lead in a game that spiralled into a 5-1 loss. Benito has been solid all-around, but her mistakes have proven costly.
Last time out, Marist dropped a home game to bottom-feeder St. Peter’s 1-0 on senior night. It was St. Peter’s first win of conference play, and their second overall. They now sit at 12th of 13 in the conference as Merrimack remains winless.
Though they went scoreless in the last game, Marist was able to stay on the attack, taking 26 shots, with 10 going on target. This continues the trend Marist has set on offense in their last six games before today. During that stretch, they have averaged 21.06 shots per game, compared to 14.67 in the first three games of conference play. Today, Iona limited them, allowing only 13 shots and five on goal.
The change in shot quantity has been a key reason for the Red Foxes’ success in that stretch, where they outscored opponents 7-6 on their way to a 3-2-1 record.
McElliot notched the two assists that won the game for her side, and gave her her first points all season. Oliveria’s goal was her first of the season and just the second of the season.
For McElliot, today was by far the biggest game of the season for a Red Fox freshman. On an offense that has been led mostly by Mullin, graduate forward Marissa Foster, and sophomore forward Ella Bryan, McElliot is just the second freshman to record a point for Marist. The other came from a goal by freshman forward Mia Fluckiger in a 3-2 win against Sacred Heart.
Marist now stares down games against Rider and Siena, with a spot in the Metro Conference tournament very much up for grabs. The Red Foxes host Rider on Saturday night in their final regular-season home match of the season.
Edited by Ryan Eichem
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Michael O’Neil
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