Gonzaga Women's Soccer Drops Tightly Contested Match With Seattle U 3-2
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Gonzaga Bulldogs midfielder Sienna Jenson (23) and Seattle U Redhawks forward Kailee Wilson (8) run for the ball at Championship Field. Credit: Skyler Hopkins/Seattle U Athletics [/caption]
Wrapping up a three-game road trip against a former WCC foe, Gonzaga women’s soccer (2-3-1) nearly escaped the stretch away from Luger Field without suffering a loss. But in a match that could’ve gone either way, it was Seattle U (3-1-2) that pulled away in the end, besting the Zags 3-2 with a late goal.
There were a couple of missed opportunities for GU offensively, but it will likely be kicking itself on the defensive lapses that led to all three Redhawk goals. Two of Seattle U’s scores came courtesy of set pieces, and the game-winner was notched after a bad gamble on the Bulldogs’ backline.
Weathering the storm overall since its last home game, Gonzaga logged a 3-1 win at New Mexico before drawing with No. 11 Washington 1-1. This latest result, however, leaves a bad taste in the team’s mouth after being so buttoned up in their two previous contests.
The Zags dominated the pace during the first 10 minutes of play, generating three corner kicks in that span. On that final CK, Amelia Severn crossed the ball from the left side to the front post, where freshman midfielder Sienna Jenson was positioned. Jenson attempted a header, and Redhawks keeper Rachael Remnet made a great initial play, stretching to get a hand on the ball for the save. But the ricochet rolled right to sophomore forward Kalia Franklin, who tapped it in for her first collegiate goal and an early GU 1-0 advantage.
Franklin was active in the first 20 minutes, setting up several key offensive opportunities for Gonzaga. She split two defenders on the right sideline and then passed ahead to open Sophia Schlicklin. The junior transfer from SIU then crossed to Severn in the box, who shot toward the right corner of the net. However, Remnet made a brilliant diving save, preventing the Zags from doubling their lead.
Seattle U’s offense got going not long after that, living in Bulldogs territory and berating keeper Sydney Head with shots on goal. In the 26th minute, Redhawks midfielder Kyla Schuster fired a hard strike from just outside the box that was on target but slammed off the crossbar. There were a few other close calls that nearly evened the score, and with so much pressure constantly being put on GU’s defense, the dam finally broke.
After creating another CK chance, Seattle U halfback U’i Kaaihue took the set piece from the left corner as the clock ticked down to the final 60 seconds of the period. The drive had some arc, allowing other Redhawks to run a pick play as the ball cut through the air. In the end, several white jerseys surrounded Head when the ball arrived, and it bounced off the Zags’ keeper and into the goal, crediting Kaaihue with the score to knot things up at one right before halftime.
Carrying that momentum out of the intermission, Seattle U didn’t take long to grab its first lead of the match. Jenson had a hard slide tackle on Sydney Grundland Lanuza in negative territory, setting up a straightaway free-kick opportunity for Kaaihue at 50’. She again served the ball to Head in frame, who leaped and popped the ball up with her left hand. But two Redhawks beat the rest of the Bulldogs to the spot, and Miyah Shuster flew in to put back the bounce, heading the ball in uncontested to put Seattle U ahead 2-1.
On the other side, Gonzaga’s offense had gone ice cold for nearly half the match. They rarely created scoring chances in the attacking third, and their best players were not featured on the few threatening sequences. Striker Samantha Snorsky, who entered the day scoring in each of her last three games, had that streak snapped against Seattle U. And Amelia Severn hasn’t scored a non-penalty-kick goal since her historic four-goal game in the regular-season opener.
But following a throw-in during the 61st minute, GU managed to tie up the score. Cornered with two defenders draped around her, Snorsky managed to turn and cross the ball into the box. Shila Rasoul won position to deter a Redhawk from clearing it, knocking the ball to a cutting Jenson, who needed no load to take a shot that kicked off the left post and in for her first score of the season.
Once the Zags drew things even at two, there weren’t many clear scoring attempts from either side. Each team’s best backline player, Makayla Werner and Imani Newby, stood out in the back quarter of the match by enforcing physicality and clearing the ball when it reached the box. And one of Werner’s final drives the other way nearly sparked a game-winner for Gonzaga.
At 83’, a clearance from Werner eventually fell in the lap of Severn, who delivered a pass to a streaking Snorsky up ahead. Upon gaining possession, Snorsky used a hesitation dribble to get her defender on the ground, but sailed her open shot over the net.
And four minutes later, Seattle U capitalized on its opponent’s missed chance. From straightaway in Bulldogs territory, Grundland Lanuza dished a left-footed pass to the left corner of the box. As the ball arrived, GU sophomore defender Avery O’Donnell went for a header but misjudged its trajectory, with it landing right at the foot of Leila Leano. She had an open lane to the frame, kicking a shot between Head and the near post to put the Redhawks ahead on Leano’s first career goal.
O’Donnell was visibly distraught after her miscue, but defensively, Gonzaga had lapses as a team when Seattle U was in the attacking third. Not to mention, offensively, the Bulldogs doubled their opponent U in corner kicks (8-4) and were called for offside six times while the Redhawks didn’t get too antsy with the ball once.
Returning to Spokane on Thursday, Sept. 3, the Zags will take on Wyoming (3-2) at 4 PM PT for their third home game of the season, looking for their first win at Luger Field since the season opener against South Florida.
