First Conference Game to Follow Upset Loss

After a strong week of practice, the Cards, (2-4-1) were ready to play Frostburg State University, but Mother Nature had other plans. Rain forced a game cancellation. The cancelled game was a major disappointment because the Cards had hoped to avenge their tie with Frostburg State from last season.

Their next game came against Montclair State University and the Cards were looking to get back to their winning ways after dropping their last two out of three. They dominated the game but Montclair State had the last word in a heartbreaker. Though CUA out shot their opponents 14-7 and out-kicked them from the corner 7-1. Players agreed that the loss was due to committing a cardinal sin and eased off before the final whistle was blown, squandering their 1-0 lead with just eleven minutes left to play.

“The Montclair game was a learning experience for us,” said Spadaro. “Soccer is a 90 minute game and you have to play through no matter what the score is. Though we were definitely happy with how we played for the first 80 minutes, in soccer it takes more than that.”

Freshmen midfielder Maggie McCarthy notched her second goal of the season, giving the Cards a 1-0 lead in the sixteenth minute of play. The Cardinals continued to dominate on both sides of play for nearly an hour thereafter, both out shooting their opponents while in control of the ball and then by limiting Montclair’s shots on the CUA goal when falling back to play defense. However, Montclair State made the most of their seven shots. With eleven minutes to go, Montclair State tied the game with a goal from Symone Seldon. Just six minutes later, Natalia Sisti knocked in what would later turn out to be the winning goal for Montclair State. Spadaro led Cards’ offense with a game-high four shots, but the Cards felt as if they let a win slip away from them.

Even though they have played seven games to date, in some ways this season is still very young for the Cards. They have yet to play a conference opponent, and how well they do in their conference will ultimately determine both their playoff hopes as well as the overall fate of their season.