DANVILLE, Ky. - In Coach
Darren Gallagher's first collegiate game as a head coach, the Lions fell to star-studded #19 Centre in overtime. In his debut game the Lions put up a great fight scoring with just 4 minutes left in the game to tie it up at 1 a piece. But, the Lions conceded late in the 95th minute of play falling 2-1.
To begin play the Lions were tasked with stopping Centre's elite offensive play which scored 31 goals in just 10 games a year ago. The Lions felt the pressure early conceding in the 25th minute of play to give the Colonels a 1-0 lead. Following the goal the Lions back line led by Junior
Zoe Sanford (Louisville, Ky./Oldham Co.) and Senior
Emily Reichling (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) took a stand, allowing only 4 shots, 2 on target, for the rest of the half.
To begin play in the 2nd half the Lions defensive line held strong again not allowing the Colonels to break through offensively. The Lions offense was quiet for most of the night but came alive with just minutes to play. With 4 minutes left to play Junior
Hannah Surber (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin Co.) found the back of the net to even the score at 1! The Lions defense would hold on and send the match into overtime with the scoring sitting at 1 a piece.
Heading into overtime the Lions were hopeful after scoring on their only shot of the game so far. The Lions offense was unable to get going in the overtime period as the Colonels were able to break through the brick wall the Lions had created on the back line scoring in the 95th minute to secure the victory.
After the tough loss head coach
Darren Gallagher had this to say, "I'm very proud of the girls. They bought in and worked hard for one another. #19 Centre is a top-notch opponent and we learned a lot about ourselves as we go into a big weekend." The Lions battled hard taking the #19 Division III team in the country to overtime in Coach
Darren Gallagher's debut match. The Lions are back in action this weekend hosting the Quakers of Wilmington College Saturday, September 4th at 8pm and the Tigers of Sewanee on Sunday, September 5th at 11am apart of a 4 team tournament hosted by The Mount. Be sure to tune into msjlions.com for continued coverage all season long!
