Baldwin-Wallace Stings Allegheny with Late First-Half Finish
ERIE, Pa. – Baldwin-Wallace's Cheryl Bell scored on a header just before the end of the first half, and the Yellow Jackets rode that finish to a 1-0 victory over Allegheny in the 2012 season opener for both teams. The Gators dominated the second-half chances but were unable to script the equalizer as Baldwin-Wallace defeated Allegheny in the teams' first meeting since the 1999 season.
Rookie Niki Augustine manufactured the Gators' first chance of the season four minutes into Saturday's action, but Yellow Jackets' goalkeeper Emily Tallmadge made a nice save on a header attempt to keep Allegheny off the board.
It was an uneven half for both sides offensively throughout most of the first frame, and the Gators wouldn't put its second shot on target until 11 minutes remaining. Another shot by Augustine, who finished with a team-best four attempts, was stopped by Tallmadge, while the momentum for the remainder of the period seemed to swing to Baldwin-Wallace, which was credited with the final three shots of the half.
Immediately following a corner in the 43rd minute, Bell broke the scoreless deadlock with a header off the pass of teammate Kari Trivisonno.
The middle part of the second half was dominated by the Gators, who ripped off eight straight shots during a 16-minute stretch, including a great save by Tallmadge on an effort by Ashley Lehr that resulted in the only corner of the half for either team. Despite the offensive flurry, a series of late changes by the Yellow Jackets kept fresh bodies swirling in the defensive third and denied Allegheny's bid to force overtime.
The Gators outshot B-W, 16-10, including an 11-4 advantage in the second half. Tallmadge collected six saves en route to her first career shutout, while Allegheny junior Kylie Mason made three saves in her first career start.
