Kelli Veras scores twice to lead WestConn over Kean, 2-1
DANBURY, CT (Oct. 20) — After a slow start in the first half, the Western Connecticut State University women’s soccer team got an offensive boost from the team’s leading scorer, Kelli Veras (Trumbull, CT), to claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kean University Tuesday night at the Westside Athletic Complex.
In the opening 20 minutes of play, Kean controlled the majority of the action, keeping WestConn pinned primarily in the defensive end and taking the game’s first six shots.
Even at the 35:00 mark of the first half the Colonials had only managed two shots, but an off-sides call against WestConn seemed to change the intensity of the Colonial attack. Bringing the ball up the middle of the field, senior Angela Wozniak (Ludlow, MA) lofted a pass over the Kean defense and into the middle of the box. Without being touched, the ball took a high astro-turf bounce over a leaping Kean goaltender and into the goal. The play was immediately called off-sides by the referee, much to the dismay of the WestConn bench.
Two minutes later, Veras worked the ball down the left side of the field, around two Kean defenders and fired a cross-cage shot that beat the Cougar goalie high into the right corner of the net, giving the Colonials a 1-0 lead. Veras was set up by a lengthy pass from senior midfielder Nicole Sieber (Newtown, CT).
Kean continued to dominate the offensive action in the second half, but the Colonials defense and goaltender Molly Miller (Middlebury, CT) denied every chance.
At the 66:15 mark, Veras scored her second goal of the game and team-leading ninth goal of the season when she cut between two Kean defenders to receive a combination of passes from junior Jennifer Duran (Uncasville, CT) and Sieber (Newtown, CT) and, without breaking stride, blasted a shot into the net for a 2-0 WestConn lead.
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Kean finally broke through the WestConn defense when Jenna Godwin (Kingwood, NJ) scored on a pass from Carly Seidel (Winslow Township, NJ) to narrow the margin to 2-1. Even with WestConn dominating possession of the ball in the final 10 minutes, Molly Miller was still called upon to make two more saves to secure the victory.
For the game, Kean held a 28-7 advantage in shots, 16-5 margin in shots on goal, and had six corner kicks to three for WestConn. Miller finished with 15 saves to earn the win in goal for WestConn, while Leandra Russo (Galloway, NJ) made two saves in a losing effort for Kean.
WestConn’s season record now stands at 8-8, while Kean falls to 5-5-4. The Colonials return to action Thursday afernoon, October 22nd, when they travel to Western New England College. Game time is slated for 3:00pm.
Kean (5-5-4) vs. Western Connecticut (8-8)
Date: Oct 20, 2009 Attendance: 150
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
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Kean................ 0 1 - 1
Western Connecticut. 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 37:34 WCSUWS Kelli Veras (8) (Nicole Sieber)
2. 66:15 WCSUWS Kelli Veras (9) (Jennifer Duran and Nicole Sieber)
3. 78:47 KEAN Jenna Godwin (Carly Seidel)
Shots: Kean 28, Western Connecticut 7
Saves: Kean 3 (Leandra Russo 2; Caitlin Hoskins 1), WestConn 15 (Molly Miller 15)
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