Gonzaga Women’s Soccer Falls 1-0 to Wyoming in Back-and-Forth Affair
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Gonzaga Bulldogs defender Avery O’Donnell (6) dribbles while guarded by Wyoming forward Isabel Vasco (17) at Luger Field. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics [/caption]
Squaring off in another close match, Gonzaga women’s soccer (2-4-1) returned to Spokane for its home game in two weeks, taking on Wyoming (4-2) at Luger Field on Thursday.
The pendulum swung constantly throughout the 90 minutes, with both sides having ample opportunities to score, but to no avail for the first 75 minutes. But similar to the Zags’ last game on Sunday against Seattle U, the game-winner came in heartbreaking fashion, as an own goal was GU’s undoing in the 1-0 defeat.
It was otherwise a banner night for both defenses and goalkeepers, who resisted persistent attacks from opposing strikers and forwards for nearly the entire match. That’s what makes this another tough result for Gonzaga, which dropped its second straight game.
Neither team had trouble pushing the ball into the attacking third, but the backlines buckled down as more players clustered around the net, and there were some tremendous saves throughout. Zags keeper Sydney Head put together the best game of her career, with the lone goal on her ledger coming on a similar set piece that has recently plagued GU’s defense. Head collected five saves, including a couple of athletic parries, playing well enough to deserve her first career shutout. Cowboys’ keeper Haley Bartel, on the other hand, logged her 21st career clean sheet, saving seven of the Bulldogs’ shots.
The match’s earliest scoring chances came from the Cowgirls. On Wyoming’s first-half corner kicks, they tapped passes to the edge of the box rather than lofting the ball near the net. Alyssa Glover did it in the fourth minute, eventually getting the ball back before dishing it to Lauren Westwood in the middle of the box. She managed to get past defender Aubrey Dizon before chipping a shot off the lip of the crossbar.
Five minutes later, Hadley Linder stole it from Kalia Franklin and kicked it ahead to Glover on a short break, but Head made a sliding stop to her right. And after a throw-in at 26’, Isabel Vasco bent the angle on Makayla Werner in the box and took a shot that Head pushed towards the collection of players in front of the frame with her left hand. There was a brief scramble for the ball before the officials called offside.
The Bulldogs also had their close calls offensively. In the 17th minute, Amelia Severn crossed a perfect pass to an open Sophia Schlicklin. But the ball kicked off her chest and was knocked away by Bartel.
Senior forward Shila Rasoul was heavily involved in Gonzaga’s several golden chances in the back half of the first period, first knocking a pass to a streaking Brooke Metcalfe down the right sideline from midfield during the 37th. The sophomore striker had three Cowgirls converge on her as she drew closer to the goal and made a great move to get through the blockade, but Metcalfe’s shot had to go through too much traffic.
Three minutes later, Rasoul, Metcalfe, and Piper Davidson couldn’t manage a clean shot after playing hot potato in the box. Next, when the Zags created a corner kick in the 43rd minute, Werner delivered a flawless pass to Rasoul, whose header was then caught by Bartel.
Out of the intermission, GU commanded pace to start but weren’t able to break through. Severn was body-checked at 62’, giving Gonzaga a free kick that she put too much loft on. Two minutes after that, Samantha Snorsky crossed a pass from the left sideline. Rasoul was there for another header, yet popped her attempt high and out of play.
Then the Wyoming offense was awakened. Going end-to-end in the 68th minute, Glover got ahead of the pack before slipping a pass to Jennah Wanner. A Spokane native and Gonzaga Prep graduate, Wanner would’ve scored in her hometown if Head didn’t make a timely block. The ricochet landed back at Wanner’s feet, and she quickly fired off again, but Werner recovered in the net and made an incredible foot save to keep things scoreless.
In the 71st, Cowgirls senior midfielder Alisa Bunn crossed the ball from the left side. Werner got a foot on it, but couldn’t clear it. That allowed Linder to kick it back to Bunn, who pushed a pass to Maddie Burr. She went for a header and had a lane on the right side that just missed wide. A similar play occurred about a minute later, when Bunn knocked a stellar through ball to the box, although it caught Izzy Schroder slightly off guard, and her slide pushed the ball over the frame.
And not long after that, Bunn passed another long through ball to Schroder, who had gotten in front of the Zags’ backline. Head came out of the net, sprawling for the ball and disrupting the freshman forward before Schroder could get off a shot.
Despite the miraculous breaks for the Bulldogs, it all came crumbling in the 76th minute. On a CK, Burr curved a line drive that missed heads and remained on target. Gonzaga senior defender Olivia Lester drifted towards the frame and raised her right leg to clear the ball, but it bounced off Lester and into the net due to its tailing action, resulting in an own goal.
During the final 15 minutes, GU got about as close as possible to scoring without doing so. In the 80th, Snorsky barely sailed a straightaway line drive shot from outside the box. A minute later, she crossed a pristine delivery to a cutting Harper Boninsegna-Mullins. Bartel initially retreated to her left and barely got a mitt on the freshman’s close-range chip, with her momentum carrying her elsewhere, making the best save of the match.
And at 86’, Werner floated one that Schlicklin and Bartel collided on, clearing the way for Sienna Jenson to knock a left-footed shot to the back of the net. But Schlicklin was called for offside, which was confirmed after a Katie Benz challenge.
Following the waved-off goal, the Zags had a couple of throw-ins they couldn’t capitalize on. Glover and Vasco also went for a dagger in the final minute, and likely would’ve converted if not for Werner, who raced from behind to make a tough slide tackle tbat deterred the Cowgirls.
In a fairly even affair, Wyoming outshot Gonzaga 17-12 and also set up an additional corner kick. GU has nine days to regroup and find a way to get Severn back on the board, who hasn’t scored outside a penalty kick since her four-goal season opener. When the Bulldogs return to action on Sept. 13, they’ll be back on the road at Creighton.
