BY WILL POLADIAN, SPORTS EDITOR
The St. Bonaventure women’s soccer team lost its fourth-straight conference game against Davidson, 3-0, Sunday.
The Bonnies (2-4-5, 0-4 A-10) and Wildcats (9-2-1, 2-2 A-10) were at a stalemate for the entirety of the first half.
In the 65th minute, the Wildcats took control as freshman midfielder Charlotte Snead kicked the ball off a St. Bonaventure defender, who found the foot of sophomore forward Alli Jacobson into the back of the net to give Davidson the lead.
Six minutes later, Bonnies’ sophomore goalkeeper Chaira Gottinger was out of position, leaving the net open for senior forward Remi White to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
“We have to be braver than the other teams,” said Gottinger. “We have to play with more energy, passion and risk. In order to score, we have to shoot more often on goal and challenge the other keeper. Our defensive work is good, now we have to step up our offensive work as a team. If we start scoring, it will also take some pressure off of our defense.”
Four minutes later, the Wildcats capped off its second half scoring with senior midfielder Sophia Caruso netting a loose ball off a free kick from senior forward/midfielder Hailey Braemer.
St. Bonaventure attempted to make a comeback in the 80th minute as junior midfielder Lydia Choban fired a shot that was saved by diving Davidson freshman goalkeeper Mary Grace Bunch. The Bonnies ultimately fell to the Wildcats.
“A loss at home is always tough,” said Gottinger. “We played on home turf and shouldn’t let other teams take points back with them. The main difference between us and Davidson was that Davidson scored goals. We put a lot of work into the game but didn’t get rewarded.”
Leading the Bonnies in shots, senior forward/midfielder Rachel Hutchison and junior forward McKenna Robinson had two apiece.
For the Wildcats, Caruso and Braemer each had four.
The Wildcats outshot the Bonnies, 22-6.
Gottinger made five saves in the afternoon, bringing her season total up to 91 on the year. She currently is second in the nation in total saves behind junior Ashley Maribo of Delaware State.
“All these numbers sound incredible,” said Gottinger. “It makes me really proud because it shows that the daily hard work on and off the field pays off. Nevertheless, these are just numbers and make it seem like it’s just me although that’s not the case. I have a great backline and team right in front of me and we help each other out. I’m usually just the last person to stop the ball. This is my job, and I try to do it as good as possible.”
The Bonnies continue their season at home on Thursday against George Mason at 7 p.m.
“Every single game is important, and a win would give us an important boost for the following games,” Gottinger said. “We are playing at home under the lights on a Thursday night. That’s already reason enough to throw everything we have into this game, so we can leave the field as the winning team. We are more than ready for our first conference win of the season and are going to give everything we have to get this win and the three points.”
poladiwj20@bonaventure.edu
