Late Goal Lifts Falcons over Eagles
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila women's soccer defended well and battled hard for 88 minutes, but one great shot from a top goal scorer with less than 90 seconds remaining in regulation was just barely enough to lift Friends (5-2-0, 2-0-0 KCAC) to a 1-0 win over Avila (1-4-3, 1-1-0 KCAC) on Wednesday afternoon at The Z.
The Eagles have had a penchant for scoring late goals this season to earn a positive result, often scoring inside the game's final few minutes to steal a draw. Unfortunately for the Eagles, this time the Falcons did exactly that Wednesday when top goal scorer Keily Larosee scored her seventh goal of the season with 1:23 left in regulation. And, unlike many of Avila's late goals this year, that shot didn't give the Falcons a draw, it gave them a win, spoiling what was nearly a decent day of work for the Avila defense.
Both offenses struggled to get into a groove in the first half Wednesday – the two teams combined for three shots on goal over the first 45 minutes – but play began to open up after halftime. Larosee had a number of solid chances in the second half, including one shot that hit the crossbar, but otherwise Kenan Ebel and the Eagle defense did well to eliminate many true elite chances for Falcon forwards.
Avila blocked five Friends shot attempts in the match, and Ebel made four saves in the second half alone to keep the game scoreless. Avila's offense was largely concentrated through Kirryn Killingsworth and Morgan Pettlon, as has been standard for the Eagles thus far this season, and Miriam Solorio had a couple of chances as well, including one off a Pettlon corner kick midway through the second half.
With Friends continuing to pursue, Ebel turned Larosee away twice in the final 12 minutes, and Avila looked prepared to play things out and walk away with a draw in a strong effort. But Larosee, as she has often done, managed to make things happen, taking an entry pass and dribbling it herself into the box, working around a defender and roofing a shot high over Ebel to give the Falcons the last-minute winner. By then, there was simply not enough time for the Eagles to bounce back, and the Falcons walked away with a narrow win.
Avila women's soccer will return to action this Saturday, September 24, for another home KCAC doubleheader at The Z, this time against McPherson. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, with the men's game to follow around 2 PM. As always, you can watch all the action live on the Avila Sports Network.
