FREDONIA, NY — The Alfred University women's soccer team dropped a 4-2 non-conference decision to Fredonia on Saturday afternoon as part of the Blue Devil Classic.
"Not the result we were hoping for," Head Coach
Craig Yanni said. "We need to work on putting together 90 minutes of hard work and focus. We played a much better second half but still have a lot to address and work on before Wednesday."
Fredonia (4-1-0, 0-0-0 SUNYAC) struck early in the eighth minute, converting a rebound following an initial save by
Lauren Mott (Cortland, NY/Cortland) to take a 1-0 lead. Mott remained active in the opening frame, making five saves in the first 25 minutes to keep the Saxons (1-2-2, 0-0-0 Empire 8) within reach. However, a defensive miscue on a Blue Devil cross in the late stages of the half allowed Fredonia to double its advantage, sending AU into halftime down 2-0.
The Saxons were assertive to begin in the second half, earning a corner kick in the 47th minute to set an aggressive tone in the offensive third. Fredonia quickly countered, scoring off a corner kick of their own before extending the lead to 4-0 in the 55th minute off another secondary deflection.
Off the restart,
Isabelle Dennis (Livonia, NY/Livonia) found
Ava Thayer (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) with a heads-up pass to put the Saxons on the board. AU kept up the pressure in the 68th minute when a deep free kick from Dennis deflected off a Fredonia defender for an own goal, trimming the deficit to 4-2. A fifth goal by the Blue Devils eventually held off the comeback attempt for Alfred University.
Alfred University will next open Empire 8 play on Wednesday, hosting Houghton University at 6:00 PM.
--Swords Forward Saxons--
