Late Goal Not Enough For Lakers In Home Opener

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Roosevelt's first goal of the young season came a little too late as Siena Heights defeated the Lakers 2-1 on Saturday night at Morris Field.

The Lakers (0-2-0) were in control for much of the first half of action even though the stats might show a more even half. Although both teams had six shot attempts in the opening 45 minutes, the Lakers were the ones pressing with more dangerous opportunities. Some of those chances did not end in shots, but Roosevelt still kept the ball deep in the Saints' territory, and rarely allowed any danger to reach sophomore goalkeeper Roxana Herrera.

Herrera did her part making five stops in her first start of the season, including a critical stop midway through the second half to keep Roosevelt's deficit at one. There wasn't much the Chicago native could do on Siena Heights' first goal as a corner kick bounced around in the box for a few seconds before the Saints finally poked it home in the 55^th minute. While pushing for an equalizer late in the game, Roosevelt shifted formations to strengthen the attack, but that left the defense vulnerable and the Saints doubled the lead after Herrera pushed away the initial attempt.

Yet just two minutes after Siena Heights took the 2-0 lead, the Lakers found some hope thanks to the dogged pursuit of Kyra Cruickshank. The freshman pressed the Saints backline much of the night and it finally paid off with 2:01 remaining when she blocked a clearance attempt from the Siena Heights goalkeeper into the goal. The Lakers had two final chances to tie the game, but managed just three shot attempts in the second half.

Roosevelt's second-half efforts were dampened by the red card issued to freshman defender Peyton Connelly, who picked up a pair of yellow cards just 90 seconds apart. The Lakers held their own down a player with Herrera coming up with four second-half saves on seven total shots for the Saints. Roosevelt also limited Siena Heights to just two corner kicks in the game while matching the Saints' physicality over the field.

The Lakers will have a quick turnaround before they welcome Cleary to Morris Field on Monday at 9:30 a.m. for a non-conference battle.