Huskies Fall to No. 17 Ferris State 1-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ferris State (7-1-0, 1-0-0) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Michigan Tech (4-2-1, 0-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech soccer team lost a hard fought Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match to 17th ranked Ferris State 1-0 Friday night at Sherman Field. In a contest that was dominated by both defenses and featured limited scoring chances for offenses, the Bulldogs recorded what would be the only goal of the night in the 40th minute.
"It was disappointing to not get a win, but I thought it was a very good match," Michigan Tech Head Coach Michelle Jacob said. "Ferris State is an outstanding team and in the second half we showed we are just as good. We played a really competitive second half and put a lot of pressure on their defense and came close with some shots.
"I told the team it was disappointing to lose the game, but there were a lot of positive things that happened in tonight's match, we finished strong, and kept attacking until the end. We need to build on the positive things from tonight moving forward into Sunday's match against Northwood."
Ferris State (7-1-0, 1-0-0 GLIAC) attempted the only four shots in the opening half, with the first coming in the ninth minute on a strike by Grace Verhage. The next attempt wouldn't come until late in the first half when the Bulldogs increased their pressure on the Michigan Tech (4-2-1, 0-1-1 GLIAC) defense. Gabrielle Teodorescu fired a shot over the crossbar in the 38th minute and then the lone goal of the match would take place with five minutes to play in the opening 45 minutes.
Pia Nagel worked her way into the box about seven yards away from the net and teammate Carley Dubbert sent a crossing pass from the right side of the field on to the foot of Nagel. Nagel connected on her fifth goal of the season while the assist was granted to Dubbert, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 edge.
The Huskies regrouped at halftime and the offense began to create some scoring opportunities. Freshman Gabby Sgambati just missed wide right on the Huskies' first shot of the night in the early moments of the second half. Sgambati blasted another shot towards the net in the 58th minute, this time forcing goalie Alison Chesterfield to make the save.
Senior Rachel Wall challenged Chesterfield with a shot on goal in the 61st minute while Michigan Tech sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Young kept the deficit at one with a pair of solid saves in the 60th and 62nd minutes.
The Huskies' offense moved the ball into the attacking third in the final minutes of the match, but were unable to slip a shot into the back of the net. Senior Marisa DeMario fired a shot on goal that was saved by Chesterfield in the 72nd minute and then in the 83rd minute sophomore Jesse Jacobusse nearly knotted the score, if not for Chesterfield who deflected the shot for her fourth save of the evening.
Sgambati had a team high three shots with one on goal to pace the Huskies attack on Friday night. DeMario, Jacobusse, Wall, and freshman Stephanie Yeager each had one attempt for Tech in the match. Young played all 90 minutes in front of the net and made two saves.
Nagel powered the Ferris State offense with three shots and the one goal. Dubbert took one shot and aided on the score by Nagel in the first half. The Bulldogs had a slight edge in total shots 9-7 and corner kicks 1-0. Chesterfield went the distance in goal for the Bulldogs and made four saves on her way to the shutout win.
The Huskies will look to rebound on Sunday afternoon when they host Northwood in another GLIAC match at Sherman Field. The kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
