SCHENECTADY, NY - The Plattsburgh State women's soccer team forced a tie with Union in an offensive battle Wednesday night, as each team scored twice and attempted over 14 shots in a non-conference affair. Nora Fitzgerald (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) and Avery Durgan (Plattsburgh, NY/Beekmantown) each scored in the tie for the Cardinals.
Plattsburgh State's record now moves to 9-5-2 overall (4-3-1 SUNYAC) with just two games remaining in the regular season. Union moves to 8-4-2, as Plattsburgh moved their home record to 3-3-1 with the tie.
The Dutchwomen were the first to get on the board as Vanessa Jorgenson scored for Union in the 29th minute to open up the scoring. In the same minute, on the next play, Fitzgerald found the back of the net 10 seconds later on the game clock, scoring to tie the game right back up.
In the 37th minute, Union retook the lead, as they scored from the foot of Melissa Murphy to take a 2-1 lead into the half. The Dutchwomen outshot the Cardinals 13-6 in the first half of play, also earning nine corners to Plattsburgh's five.
The second half saw the play of each offense evened out, with Union only outshooting the Cards 10-8 in the final period of play.
The score remained 2-1, as the Dutchwomen were able to hold the Plattsburgh offense at bay until the 72nd minute. The Cardinals earned one of their two corners in the half, and Kirsten Villemaire (Plattsburgh, NY/Beekmantown) took the kick and first found Sam Spear (Peru, NY/Peru) who attempted to head the ball into the net but found Durgan instead, who finished off the play for the score. The goal was Durgan's first of the season and sixth of her career, tying the game late for the Cardinals.
The score would remain the same, with Union finding five more opportunities to score and coming up empty, with Plattsburgh only attempting one more shot for the rest of the game.
Julia Ennis (Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic) made her first start in nearly a month and made a season-high eight saves for the Cardinals. She picked up her first tie of the season, as her record stands at 2-3-1.
Plattsburgh will celebrate three seniors and four fifth-years on Saturday, Oct. 22, as they welcome Buffalo State to town at 1 p.m. Julia Ennis, Anna McDuffie, and Nicole Kingsley will be honored for their senior day, while fifth-years Kieren Ritter, Allison Seidman, Sam Spear, and Kirsten Villemaire will also be recognized. The team can also clinch the fourth seed in the SUNYAC playoffs with a win, which would earn them an opportunity to host a first-round playoff game.
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