NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - The St. Francis Brooklyn women's soccer team kicked off its Northeast Conference (NEC) schedule Thursday evening with the program's fourth meeting with the Merrimack Warriors.
Despite scoring their earliest goal in a game this season, the Terriers (1-4-3) fell to Merrimack (3-4-2), 2-1, after holding off the Warriors lead for more than 70 minutes with 10 players.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Terriers kicked off their NEC opener in style. The visitors earned their first corner in the second minute and Jess Rodriguez's ball into the box could not be cleared by the Merrimack defense. Trystan Thompson-Cotterell waited at the goal line as Kendra Rust's chance around and slotted it away to go up, 1-0, in the second minute.
Her goal, recorded at 2:39, goes down as the second-fastest goal in program history and the only goal in the second minute of a game by a Terrier.
The tides changed just ten minutes later. After getting tangled up with a Merrimack defender off a throw-in, Izzy Gollette was shown a red card; the first in her career. St. Francis played the remaining 77 minutes with 10 players.
Despite the man disadvantage, the Terrier held strong through the remainder of the first half. Goalkeeper Klil Keshwar was called into action just one in the first 45 minutes, making one save, and ensuring the Terriers went to the break leading 1-0.
Merrimack needed just 11 minutes in the second half to equalize. Rebecca Harty took advantage of a misplayed cross into the six-yard box and put the ball out of reach of the SFBK defense to tie the game at 1-all.
The game would remain tied to the final ten minutes. Molly Murnane proved to be the difference in the 81st minute, netting the game winner for Merrimack.
TEAM LEADERS
Trystan Thompson-Cotterell scored her first goal of her career and the second-earliest goal in program history.
Klil Keshwar recorded four saves in the road game on Thursday night.
NEXT UP: St. Francis returns to action Sept. 25 against Fairleigh Dickinson. Kick-off is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. in Teaneck, N.J. and will air live on NEC Front Row.