Box Score
LORETTO, Pa. - Facing the defending Northeast Conference champions on the road and trailing by a goal late in the second half, redshirt senior Jen Spicer rose to the occasion and scored the equalizing tally with just 46 seconds remaining to help the LIU Brooklyn women's soccer team to a 1-1 draw with Saint Francis U. on Sunday afternoon. The Blackbirds dominated for the majority of the day, outshooting the Red Flash 29-8, including a 23-3 margin in the second half plus the two overtime periods. Spicer led the charge with eight shots, five of which were on frame.
For the second straight match, LIU fell behind early in the first half as Saint Francis freshman Allison LaDuke found the back of the net in the second minute. The Red Flash kept the pressure on in the early going with three straight corner kicks over a three-minute span, but the Blackbirds were up to the task each time.
LIU Brooklyn's first shot of the match came in the 19th minute when sophomore Madison Gomez had an attempt blocked. Freshman Brittany Galske, junior Mariana Ruas and sophomores Tori Shinkowitz and Jenn Peters all missed wide on chances in the first half, while junior Lucy Gunton-Jones was on target with her shot in the 41st minute but was denied by SFU goalkeeper Lexie Mirenda.
The Blackbirds held a slim 6-5 edge in shots over the first 45 minutes of action, but picked up the pace in a major way in the second half. LIU recorded 23 shots to the Red Flash's three following intermission, including 10 straight in the first 13:30 of the period. Redshirt junior Allison King had a prime opportunity in the 55th minute but a SFU defender recorded a team save.
In addition to the huge shot advantage, LIU Brooklyn had six corner kicks in the second period, all off the foot of Gunton-Jones. In the 62nd minute, Gunton-Jones found senior defender Shannon O'Connor in the box off a set piece but O'Connor's shot went high.
Saint Francis nearly bolstered its lead in the 66th minute when Mackenzie Walter hit the crossbar with a header, but the Blackbirds were able to recover defensively and clear.
LIU kept the pressure on and continued to record chance after chance to no avail. Gomez missed wide in the 69th minute before Gunton-Jones and King were stopped by Mirenda, who finished the day with 12 saves.
Spicer came perilously close to tying the contest in the 87th minute, but had her shot hit the post. An attempt from Gunton-Jones was saved by Mirenda in the 88th minute before Spicer finally broke through with the tying goal from point-blank range at the 89:14 mark.
In the two overtime periods, Spicer and Gunton-Jones each had a pair of chances but could not take advantage as the Blackbirds settled for the draw. In addition to Spicer's eight shots, Gunton-Jones had five and Peters had four for LIU Brooklyn.
The Blackbirds (4-11-1, 2-2-1 NEC) return home for Alumni Weekend beginning on Friday, Oct. 24 with a match against Wagner at LIU Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.