Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
UMBC
Women's Soccer Clipped by UMBC, 2-1
9/2/2014 11:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- For the second straight game the Bucknell women's soccer team piled up a decisive shot advantage but came away with a one-goal loss, as UMBC made two first-half tallies stand up in a 2-1 win on Tuesday at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium. Evelyn Nicinski scored for the Bison (1-3), who outshot the 4-0 Retrievers by a 19-5 count.
The start of the game was delayed one hour and twenty minutes due to a pair of thunderstorms, and when play resumed UMBC cashed in on a pair of services deep into the six-yard box. The opening goal came on a corner kick in the 14th minute, with Lilly Rydon snapping home a header from point-blank range.
Nanov sent in that corner from the right side, and then nine minutes later it was Nanov on the left side with a cross that went in the back of the net off the head of a Bison defender at the near post.
Bucknell's best look in the first half came on a Maddie Mulford low strike from 20 yards out that was momentarily spilled and then recovered by keeper Jen Nance with 5:30 left. Nance made eight saves in the game, including a good one in the second half when she reached high to tip Nicinski's free kick off the crossbar and out.
The Bison got on the scoreboard with 2:57 left in the match. Courtney Nelson passed to Mulford, who sent a pass back to Nicinski, who one-touched a looping, 28-yard shot that snuck inside the top right corner. It was Nicinski's first goal of the season and ninth of her career.
Bucknell kept pressing for the tying goal, and Nance had to make one more save on a shot from distance by Kendall Ham with 30 seconds to play.
The Bison outshot UMBC 10-3 in the first half and 9-2 in the second. They piled up a 15-6 shot advantage in Sunday's 1-0 overtime loss at Rider. Nicinski led all players with six shots against UMBC, while Cassie Denger had four.
Rydon attempted three of the five shots for the Retrievers, the defending America East champions who had already beaten Patriot League clubs Navy and Loyola this season.
"In the non-league games, win or lose you have to take the positives from it," said head coach Ben Landis. "No disrespect to Rider or UMBC, but we feel like we have carried both games and have nothing to show for it. We have played well enough to be 3-1, but we are not, and no we have to go back and ask ourselves why."
This was the first of three straight home games for the Bison. Robert Morris comes in on Friday at 7 p.m.
