Ciesielczyk goal with 38 seconds left lifts Women's Soccer to win over DU
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dominican (3-4-0, 0-1-0 NACC) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Concordia Wisconsin (5-2-0, 1-0-0 NACC) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
MEQUON, Wis. – With the match tied under a minute to play, junior Emily Ciesielczyk netted an unassisted goal to lift the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Soccer team to a 2-1 win over Dominican University in the NACC opener. The goal was scored with 38 seconds left, helping CUW to its fifth straight win.
Ciesielczyk (Waukesha, Wis.) took the ball from the defensive side of the field and sprinted right through the Dominican defense to score her first goal of the season. When she launched the shot she was inside the 18-yard box, showcasing tremendous speed and ball control to lift the Falcons to the one-goal win.
The score was 1-1 at halftime with the CUW first-half goal coming from senior Anna Hirssig (Rochester, Minn.). Hirssig took a free kick from about 25 yards out and placed it perfectly in the upper-right corner of the goal, giving the Falcons a 1-0 advantage at the 21:54 mark.
DU (3-4-0, 0-1-0 NACC) responded 9:50 later when Kelli Lovino scored off a well-executed cross pass from Kelly Gerwitz. The Lovino goal evened the match at 1-1, which was the score going into halftime. DU had a 10-8 edge in shots in the first half.
The Falcons controlled possession more in the second half, specifically late in the contest and finished the match with a 16-14 edge in shots. Ciesielcyzk led all Falcons with four shots in the match. Nathalie Mathis also had four shots in the contest for DU.
Sophomore Ariana Worthing (Saginaw, Mich.) improved her record to 3-0-0, picking up the win in net for CUW. Worthing made four saves, all four coming in the second half. Sara Stepanovich recorded five saves for the Stars.
The win was the sixth straight in NACC openers for the Falcons as they have a history of starting strong in league play. The Lovino goal was the first goal scored on CUW in a conference opener in the last six contests.
CUW (5-2-0, 1-0-0 NACC) will conclude its current four-match home stretch Wednesday against Lakeland in a NACC matchup. The Falcons and Muskies are set for a 4 p.m. start at Fitting Field.
