Box Score GOSHEN, Ind. — Gina Berkey scored her third goal of the season in the opening minutes and Melanie Drinkwater extended her team scoring lead, but visiting Marian added four second-half tallies of their own to send the Goshen College Maple Leafs to a 4-2 loss Saturday night in their women's soccer conference opener.
Berkey opened the scoring three seconds after the 10-minute mark with a shot from the left side of the penalty area. With 25:28 left in the half, Drinkwater scored her sixth goal of the campaign and 11th of her career, receiving a pass from Kate Crawford and sidestepping a defender before firing with her right foot.
Goshen therefore took a 2-0 lead into the halftime intermission, coming out ahead despite a 10-3 shot deficit.
Marian's volume of attack (the Knights finished with 25 shots, including 13 on frame) paid off after the intermission. Logan Bowling finished a cross to make it 2-1 with 38:27 left before the floodgates opened in the final minutes.
With 15:03 to play, Olivia Annee scored after a Courtney Denney cross fell to the ground at the goalmouth. Annee's cross set up the game-winner when Andrea Nguyen tapped it in at the far post with 5:23 left, and Kellie Cavanagh added an insurance goal on a breakaway in the 89th minute to set the final margin at 4-2.
Natalie Thorne made nine saves in goal for Goshen, two short of her season high. The Maple Leafs mustered 11 shots for the game, and each team committed eight fouls.
The Maple Leafs see their record fall to 4-6 for the season, and they join three other teams at 0-1 in conference play. Goshen returns to the field on Tuesday when it travels to Spring Arbor University to meet the Cougars, who are receiving votes in the NAIA national poll. Kickoff in Michigan is set for 7 p.m. EDT.
More, including comments from Goshen coach Scott Gloden, to come when available.
