Stephanie Havens' Late Goal Lifts Women's Soccer on Senior Day
Senior Stephanie Havens (Unadilla, NY/Unatego) chose a great time to score her first goal of the 2013 season for the Keuka College women's soccer team.
On Senior Day, Havens, a playmaking forward/midfielder, netted the game-winning goal with 9:24 remaining in regulation as the Storm (7-3-1, 6-2 NEAC) earned a crucial North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) victory, outlasting Morrisville State 4-3 on a sunny Saturday at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.
Off a chip pass from senior Jessica Bandrowski (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches), Havens converted her first goal of the year as the Storm moved into a tie for third place in the conference standings with three conference clashes remaining.
"We're fighting for position in the NEAC standings and this was a big morale-boosting win for us," Havens said. "We can't afford to lose any conference games and we have a tough battle this weekend (at first-place Penn State-Berks and second-place Penn State-Abington), so this is a huge win for our playoff positioning."
The top six schools qualify for the annual NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 2-10.
On the game-winning goal, Bandrowski saw Havens sprinting towards the net and played a perfect ball into Havens' feet. Havens took one touch and easily beat the keeper to give Keuka momentum back after the Mustangs (7-5, 5-3) had pulled even on a tally from Krista Baxter in the 66th minute.
Rather than panic after Morrisville evened the score, the Storm played more balls to feet and were able to come away with the winner. Both Havens and Bandrowski said the Storm spent a lot of time in practice working on finishing, and the hard work paid off in the form of a big win over a quality conference foe.
"It was huge and exciting for us to get the lead back. W knew we needed to get a win today, and when I saw Stephanie springing towards the goal, I knew she would finish," said Bandrowski, who leads the Storm in goals (11), assists (8) and points (30).
"This win is huge for our confidence; with this win, our confidence should be really high because we know we can beat any team in the NEAC. It feels great to play well and get a big win on Senior Day."
Bandrowski finished with two goals and an assist while Havens and freshman Kaitlyn Talbot (Hornell, NY/Hornell) each added goals as Keuka won for the fifth time in six games.
Off a turnover, Talbot staked the Storm to a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. Less than three minutes later, the Mustangs evened the score on a goal from Amber Welsh, but the Storm reclaimed the lead on a set piece.
Freshman Abbey David (Kendall, NY/Kendall) sent her free kick into the box for Bandrowski, who sent her shot into the far corner of the goal for a 2-1 lead with 18 minutes left in the opening half.
Off a well-executed give-and-go, Bailey Rutan tied the score at 2 with 6:14 remaining in the opening half, and the score remained tied until Bandrowski scored in the 63rd minute.
Dribbling in on goal, Bandrowski didn't seem to have much of an angle, but she sent her right-footed blast inside the far post to put Keuka up 3-2.
But the Mustangs answered back as Kriata Baxter scored in the 66th minute. Despite constant pressure and a barrage of shots, neither team was able to score until Havens' game-winning goal late in regulation.
Junior Ashley Swarts (Arkport, NY/Arkport) made 10 saves, including back-to-back point-blank saves on blasts from Rutan to keep the Storm in the game until Havens came through with the winner.
"We were real hungry today," a smiling Havens said afterwards. "We definitely wanted to win, especially on Senior Day."
Before the game, Keuka paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of seniors Bandrowski, Havens, Swarts, Britni Burch (Arkport, NY/Arkport), Christine Dedes (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket), Brooke Lovell (Arkport, NY/Arkport) and Samantha Yavorek (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua).
Keuka travels to Berks for a 3 p.m. showdown Saturday, followed by a 3 p.m. trip to Abington Sunday.
