Women’s Soccer Beats Rival Barry

10/9/07

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Lynn University’s women’s soccer team saw two streaks come to an end in its 4-1 victory over Barry University Tuesday afternoon. The Fighting Knights halted their three-game losing skid while putting an end to their 343 minute scoreless drought. Sarah Mendelsberg tallied her second career multi-goal game, including the game-winner, while Raisa Kanji recorded three assists. Lynn improves to 7-6 overall and 2-3 in the Sunshine State Conference.



“This was a much needed win,” said head coach Rocky Orezzoli, whose team defeated Barry in back-to-back years for the first time since the 1997-98 seasons. “We went so long without scoring that when we finally found the back of the net, everything seemed to fall into place for us. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into our next game.”



Defense played a huge part of the first half as both teams were only able to get off two shots apiece. But Barry’s defense crumbled at the start of the second half. Just 47 seconds in, Kanji found an open Kristina Garcia at the top of the box. Garcia evaded a defender and slipped a shot off towards the right post that snuck past keeper Sami Cromartie for the score.



In a play eerily identical to the first goal, Kanji found Mendelsberg just at the top of the box off a cross from the right sideline. The sophomore from Englewood, Colo., spun around her defender and got a shot off into the left side netting to give Lynn a 2-0 lead.



Seven minutes later Mendelsberg found the back of the goal again. Kanji started the play by saving the ball off the back line and getting a pass off to Summer McPhillips. McPhillips bent a cross from the top-right corner of the box to the back post where Mendelsberg one-timed her shot past Cromartie.



Barry (5-7, 1-4 SSC) made things interesting late in the game as Maya Ozery put her team on the scoreboard in the 84th minute. Ozery nailed a free kick into the upper left corner of the net, past a diving Jennifer Shropshire, to make it 3-1. Brittany Evernden put the Blue and White back up by three when she collected a cleared ball in the center of the field, just outside the box, and launched a shot to the upper left corner for the score.



Shropshire made four saves in her first start of the season while Cromartie tallied three saves. The Knights out shot Barry 10-6 in the contest and managed seven corner kicks to the Buc’s one.



Lynn returns to action Saturday, October 13 at 5 pm when it travels to face No. 20 Saint Leo. Fans can follow the action live by logging on to www.lynn.edu/athletics and selecting the “live audio” and “live video” links.