The NYU women’s soccer team fell 4-3 to their opponents Ursinus College of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, in their match on Sunday afternoon during the Stevens Engineering Cup on Sunday, Sept. 9, in Hoboken, New Jersey.
“We outplayed them in the second half, but we let in some sloppy goals, which cost us the game,” Junior forward Leslie Smith said.
Intimidated by Ursinus’ quick first goal, the Violets had a tough mountain to climb after another goal was scored early in the first half.
“They got a really quick goal, and therefore we were stuck playing catch up right off the bat,” said senior midfielder Serra Tumay.
Sophomore forward Cami Crawford helped the Violets by scoring a goal in the 23rd minute. Unfortunately, Ursinus put two more goals in the net, making the score 4-1 at halftime.
“I think there were some miscommunications that led to irreversible mistakes,” Craword said. “Ultimately, it led to too many goals scored against us and not enough [scored] for us.”
In the second half, Tumay scored two goals for the Violets in the 56th and 78th minutes. It was not enough to secure a win, but the women certainly cannot be
faulted for a lack of effort.
“We played much better in the second half because we were playing our game like we practice, by keeping the ball on the ground and playing to feet,” Tumay said.
Freshman forward Melissa Menta agreed. “I think we were the better team overall,” she said. “However, they capitalized on our mistakes.”
“We definitely need to start the game with more intensity and focus,” Smith said. “We have a ton of talent on this team.”
In the end, Kean University from Union, New Jersey, won the Stevens Engineering Cup. Catch the Violets in their next match against the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, on Sunday, Sept. 16.
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Sept. 10 print edition. Sara Levy is a deputy sports editor. Email her at [email protected].