Women's Soccer drops NACC contest against Marian, 3-1

MEQUON, Wis. – A two-goal first half deficit proved too much for the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Soccer team to overcome as it fell against Marian University, 3-1, Wednesday afternoon at Fitting Field. It was third straight match CUW lost by a 3-1 score.

Laura Maly and Morgan Ansems scored in the first 45 minutes of play to give the Sabres a 2-0 halftime advantage. Maly struck from 18 yards out on the left side off a pass from Leisa Conn at the 21:02 mark, making the score 1-0. It appeared the 1-0 score would read until halftime, but Ansems scored in the final minute of the half off an Alyson Fisher assist.

The Falcons amped up their offensive attack in the second half as they outshot Marian 15-4 after being outshot 12-8 in the opening half. The added pressure helped CUW get on the board at the 67:51 mark as junior Anna Hirssig (Rochester, Minn.) scored her 10th goal of the season off a corner kick from sophomore Emily Ciesielczyk (Waukesha, Wis.), cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, Marian responded 8:03 later when Mikaila Johnson netted her team-leading eighth goal of the season, putting the deficit back at two for CUW. Johnson received a pass form Brittany Syms and beat the keeper, making the final count 3-1.

Sophomore Carley Pfannerstill (Grafton, Wis.) led all players with seven shots in the match, while Hirssig added five for the Falcons, including a match-high three on goal. Maisie Floyd took four shots to pace the Sabres offensive attack.

Caitlyn Rosenberger was excellent in net for the visiting Sabres as she recorded 10 saves for her sixth win of the season. Freshman Ariana Worthing (Saginaw, Mich.) played all 90 minutes in net for CUW and recorded three saves.

The three-match losing streak is the first for CUW since the 2010 season. The Falcons are now 5-2-0 in conference play and are still well-positioned in the league standings.

CUW will return to action Saturday when they host MSOE in a crucial NACC showdown. Action is set to get underway at 3:30 p.m. and will be the second part of a men's-women's soccer doubleheader at Fitting Field. Live audio and stats will be available courtesy of CUWFalcons.com.