Women’s soccer loses a heart breaker in OT but knows how to bounce back

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Casey Lubonski throwing the ball in during a game last season. Photo / Multimedia Editor Dyone Payne

The Rowan women’s soccer team lost another close game in overtime this Saturday when the Profs lost to New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opponent Montclair State University 0-1. 

This game, much like the Profs’ last overtime loss against Washington and Lee University, remained scoreless until the end of overtime. The winning goal for Montclair came 97 minutes into the game when freshman Samantha Senatore scored off of an assist from sophomore Emily DeGeyter. 

“The game broke our hearts,” said senior captain Casey Lubonski. “I think we fought really hard the whole game and having them be able to score in the first overtime is hard.” 

Head coach Scott Leacott thinks the same thing, but knows that the challenges that the team has been facing since the beginning of the season overcame them during this loss.

“I think we gave everything we had,” Leacott said. “Like I said before, with our issues with depth, we wore down as the game went on.”

Leacott also noticed that the team got off to a slow start offensively, which also played a role in the loss.

“They weren’t making runs off the ball like they normally would and all that, we were sitting back,” Leacott said. “ And then we had a hydration break during the middle of the first half so I told them ‘Listen, get after it, get after them a little more, put a little bit more pressure on them.’ Once they did that, we settled into the game very nicely.”

But ultimately, it was the obvious thing that ended up being the biggest downfall in this game for the Profs: not scoring any goals.

The team looks to change all of this in their next game on Wednesday against Stockton University. 

“I think [this loss] took our spirits down a little bit but I also think it’s a motivator for Wednesday,” Lubonski said. “We have to win this game and I think we should come out a lot stronger and hungry for goals because I think that is what we are struggling with right now is getting goals.”

Rowan will be looking to get back on track offensively and back in the win column at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at Stockton University.

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