LIU women fall to Robert Morris

Brooklyn, N.Y. – A goal late in the second half stunned the Long Island University women’s soccer team as it fell, 1-0, to Robert Morris on Friday night at LIU Field. Ayanna Davis’ opportunistic strike was the difference in a game of missed opportunities for LIU as it saw its 11-game home win streak snapped. The Blackbirds fall to 6-5 on the season and 2-2 in the Northeast Conference.

Long Island was playing its first home game in over a month and was welcomed by its largest crowd of the season for Alumni Weekend. The home-field advantage appeared to favor the Blackbirds in the early going as they outshot the Colonials, 7-4, in the opening period.

LIU’s first good chance of the contest came in the 19th minute on a long cross from junior Caitlin Meadows (Brookdale, Calif.) that looped into the box where junior Kayleigh Morgan (Harlow, England) had slipped behind the defense, but the ball bounced over her foot before she could get off a shot. The Colonials followed with pair of shots on goal in the 28th minute, but freshman Jennifer Bannon (East Greenwich, R.I.) snuffed out the shots to keep the game scoreless.

Senior Aly Hanson (New Milford, N.J.) had a pair of missed opportunities on both sides of halftime, but both shots went wide. In the 56th minute, junior Brittany Schandelmayer (Stow, Mass.) sent a free kick into the penalty area that Morgan headed towards the goal from close range, but RMU’s Jessica Olin managed to stop the shot.

Robert Morris (7-5-0, 3-1-0 NEC) pounced on its best goal-scoring opportunity of the night when Lauren Thomas dribbled up the right flank and sent a low cross into the front of the net that found Davis’ foot for a deflection into the near corner past Bannon for a 1-0 lead at the 77:29 mark.

Meadows and Morgan had attempts on goal from long distance in the closing minutes, but Olin turned them both away to protect her shutout. Long Island finished the game with a 13-6 advantage in shots, but Olin made five saves to keep LIU off the board. Bannon had a pair of saves for the Blackbirds, who have not allowed more than one goal in a contest this season.

The Blackbirds conclude the weekend with a home match against Saint Francis (Pa.) at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday on LIU Field. Alumni Weekend festivities will conclude with a postgame tailgate.