Little Red School House
and Elisabeth Irwin High School

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Powered By A Second Half Hat Trick, LREI Secure Full Points In First ISAL Game Of The Season. Play With Pride Week Continues

J.Demster

LREI found themselves down at the break despite creating most of the best chances in the game. But they broke out in the second half, with Olivia Roederer and Josie Parks providing the assists for a Cassidy Moskowitz hat trick, to walk away with all 3 points.

This meeting with Avenues, a new entrant in the ISAL for this season, was the first opportunity LREI has had to play in the league in 2019. And it was shaping up to be a good game even before kickoff. Avenues had earlier managed a 4-3 result against 2018 semi-finalist Brooklyn Friends, with whom LREI have had some of their best matchups in recent years.

On the turf field the Knights started very sharply. Midfielder Mia Schulte was able to find space down the left side on multiple runs, pressuring the opposition right back and creating opportunities to work into the penalty area. Left back Emily Nally provided terrifically intelligent cover behind allowing Schulte to push up. Nally had her best game yet this season, winning several very tough challenges and forcing the ball away from danger areas through smart positioning. She was calm on the ball as well, which allowed the team time to transition from defense to offense collectively.

Avenues was very compact on their backline however. While the Knights found space in the middle to play, they struggled to get their shots off inside the box or to find the final ball they needed to get in behind and create 1v1 chances. The Avenues defenders always seemed to get a foot in at the last minute to cut out an attack that looked promising.

The first goal of the game was a bit of a gut punch because it came completely against the run of play. In a half in which Avenues only managed two shots total they were still the first to find the net. After a foul 25 yds out and to the left of the LREI goal, Avenues hit the dead ball right over the Knights’ wall to the far post. The goal stood up until the half time break, and Avenues would pile the pressure on right after, but LREI would manage a set piece goal of their own just nine minutes after the restart when Cassidy Moskowitz would fight through pressure to meet Olivia Roederer’s dangerous corner kick and guide it into the net. It was the breakthrough that had seemed to be coming all game for the team after seeing so much of the ball.

The Knights would find a second not long after. Josie Parks traded passes on the right corner of the box with Moskowitz, before Cassidy turned and beat her marker to find a shooting chance. Avenues was not to be so easily brushed aside. They found several chances to attack on the dribble, collecting the ball in pockets of space in the midfield and carrying the ball at the LREI backline. Goalkeeper Melissa Toledo had to be sharp on several occasions to collect or pary low shots away that came from her right. But building pressure meant that Avenues would not be denied. The score drew level when one of the dribbles broke through a gap and the opposition striker poked the ball home.

A wild finish was still in the cards though. With less than 10 minutes left in the game LREI had a corner to defend. LREI cleared the ball, and after a short scramble attacking midfielder Olivia Roederer was able to collect it and hit a pass to release Moskowitz on the counter. She made no mistake with her finish. LREI would hang on to collect a huge victory in their first chance for league points.

LREI finish Play with Pride week on Friday against Loyola. Their next game in the league comes Wednesday, September 25th against Brooklyn Friends.

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