RIO GRANDE, Ohio — Kelsey Lee’s goal just over three minutes into overtime lifted the University of Rio Grande to a 3-2 win over Indiana University East, Saturday night, in River States Conference women’s soccer action at Evan E. Davis Field.
The RedStorm improved to 6-5 overall and 4-0 in the RSC with a fifth consecutive win.
The winning streak is Rio’s first of five games or more since an eight-game stretch from Sept. 13-Oct. 23, 2014.
The victory also left the RedStorm above the .500 mark for the first time since a win over West Virgina University Tech on Aug. 31, 2015, which left that year’s team with a 2-1 record.
Lee, a junior from West Chester, Ohio, played a free kick from the midfield line by senior Jenna Jones (Lancaster, OH) on a bounce inside the 18-yard box and pushed a header past IUE goal keeper Amanda Nicholson for the winning mark with 3:08 gone in the extra session.
Lee’s game-winner closed out a nip-and-tuck affair which saw the two teams nearly equal each other in shots, corner kick opportunities and fouls.
The Red Wolves managed one more shot than their hosts (16-15) and one more corner kick chance (4-3), but the Red Storm enjoyed a 9-6 edge in shots on goal. The teams were whistled for 25 common fouls – 13 on Rio and 12 against IUE – and five yellow card cautions were whistled – all in the final 13:10 of regulation.
Rio took a 1-0 lead exactly 14 minutes into the contest when sophomore Daniella DeSousa (Cape Town, South Africa) gathered in a crossing pass from freshman Chase Davis (Huntington, WV) and blistered a shot into the back of the net from 15 yards out.
IUE tied things up just over 10 minutes later when Angely Luna scored off a corner kick by Bryanna Diceanu and that’s how things stayed until the RedStorm went back in front on a goal by Jones off a free kick from just beyond the left side of the 18-yard box with 30:46 left in regulation.
The Red Wolves knotted the game at 2-2 with 18:56 left to play on Cendy Mejia’s score off of a crossing pass from left to right by Diceanu, setting up the game’s dramatic finish.
Junior net-minder Andrea Vera (Quito, Ecuador) recorded four saves in the win for Rio Grande.
Nicholson was credited with six saves in a losing cause for IUE.
Rio Grande returns to action on Wednesday night when Union (Ky.) College visits for a non-conference match. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
Randy Payton is the Sports Information Director at the University of Rio Grande.
