Women's Soccer Opens 2017 Season with 0-0 Draw

TOWSON, Md. – The Goucher College women's soccer team opened the 2017 season with a 0-0 draw against Wisconsin-Oshkosh Friday afternoon on Beldon Field.

The Gophers began a new era under head coach Stephanie Ricketts '07 with a 0-0 tie with the visiting Titans from Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Both teams bolstered powerful defenses that allowed only weak shots on goal and minimal opportunities to score.

The opening minutes of the match were rather quiet until the Gophers threatened with a corner in the 12^th minute. However, the opportunity was parried away by the UWO defense.

The Titans answered back with an attempt on goal via a corner kick sent in by Alek Kleis who found Felicia Retrum. Retrum put a header onto the ball, but the hit was blocked by the closing Gopher defense.

The remainder of the half left both teams looking for more as the horn sounded, 0-0.

The second half looked to be more of the same until the final minutes of regulation and teams looked to post a decisive blow. In the 81^st minute, sophomore Isabel Suazo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ripped a shot that the opposing keeper fought away. She returned again in the 84^th minute, but was turned away by Jessica Galason in goal.

The Titans looked to score late with a shot by Ashley Baalke in the 90^th minute, however first-year Christina Charikofsky (Eldersburg, Md.) skillfully pulled the ball down to safety.

Neither team managed to put a shot on goal in the first overtime, but the Titans wasted little time attacking in the 2OT. However, they were once against turned away by Charikofsky. First-year Syd Benedick (Fort Loudon, Pa.) put a rip on net in the 109^th minute, to no avail.

As the final whistle sounded, the result remained the same from the start of the game, 0-0.

Charikofsky played 110 minutes in goal for the Gophers, making seven saves. Time in goal was split between Madelyn Runyan and Jessica Galason for the Titans. Galason earned six saves over 65 minutes while Runyan stopped three shots on goal in her start.

Suazo led the Gophers with four shots on goal while Benedick and senior Bri Hite (Port Republic, Md.) put two shots on goal each.

The Gophers return to action on Saturday September 2 at 4PM to take on Methodist University on Beldon Field.