LORETTO, Pa. (Sept. 6, 2009) – The scene was a familiar one that the Saint Francis women's soccer team just couldn't take advantage of, as they fell to Canisius College 2-1 on an overtime goal in Loretto on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Flash, who fall to 2-2, went into extra periods a total of seven times last season.  They either tied or won every over time game in 2008.

The Golden Griffins got started quickly, scoring less than two minutes into the game.  Blair Sprouse took a corner kick from teammate Sylvia Kowalski and redirected it past Red Flash goalkeeper Jessica Boyer (Pittsburgh, Pa/Mount Lebanon) (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) to put Canisius up 1-0.

The game was a physical, defensive battle played mostly at midfield with neither team scoring for almost 70 minutes. 

With 20 minutes remaining in the second half, a Canisius player hauled down senior forward Rachel Seibert (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) in front of the goal.  Senior defender Alyssa Kersey (Clay, N.Y/Cicero-North Syracuse) (Clay, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) took the penalty kick awarded to the Red Flash and sent the ball into the right corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1.

Neither the Red Flash nor the Golden Griffiths could find the goal in the final minutes of regulation, sending the game into overtime. 

The extra period was also a defensive battle, and the teams were deadlocked.  In the final two minutes, Kowalski took another corner kick and this time sent it directly into the goal to end the game at 2-1 in favor of Canisius.

The Golden Griffiths outshot the Red Flash 18-11, and took 13 corner kicks as opposed to SFU's two. 

Seibert had four shots for Saint Francis, with fellow senior Haleigh Dunyon (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson) (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson) close behind her with three attempts.

Boyer had eight saves, and Canisius' Caroline Roberts made five stops. 

“We worked very hard, and we had a great attitude,” said Red Flash head coach Brenda van Stralen.  “But we just couldn't get it done.”

Saint Francis will play at Bucknell on Wednesday, September 9.  Game time is set for 7 p.m. in Lewisburg.