Saint Francis University Athletics

LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis women's soccer rallied late to defeat Waynesburg, 3-2, on Wednesday evening.

Waynesburg opened the scoring 12 minutes into the match, but the Red Wolves responded in the 29th minute. Mercedez Paino found the back of the net off an assist from Molly Baker to even the score at 1-1. With two minutes remaining in the first half, Waynesburg regained the lead. Saint Francis headed into the break trailing 2-1.

The Red Wolves continued to create scoring opportunities in the second half. During the 51st minute, Meredith Artz found the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2. 

With the final horn sounding soon, Saint Francis continued to push for the go-ahead goal. With just two minutes remaining, Caterina Schiavo connected with Paino, who scored her second goal of the night to give the Red Wolves a 3-2 lead. Saint Francis held on through the final minutes to secure the comeback victory.

Alyssa Walker recorded nine saves in goal for the Red Wolves.

Saint Francis finished with 20 shots, putting six on goal. Paino led the Red Wolves with five shots, including two on goal, while Reagan Truxillo added four shots. Artz finished with three shots and two on goal, while Riley Cerqua also recorded three shots.

Artz recorded her sixth goal of the season, and Paino recorded her fourth.

"I am so proud of this team. We keep growing and moving forward. Tonight was always going to be a big test. Waynesburg is a very good team," head coach Brian Diaz commented on the win. "We challenged our team before the game and again at halftime to become a gritty team. Our ladies stepped up in a big way. Not only did we play good soccer, especially in the second half, but we showed grit. Coming back from a goal down twice is difficult. But this group rose to the challenge tonight. This was a very mature performance tonight."

The Red Wolves will be back in action on Wednesday, October 21, at 6:30 p.m., taking on Bethany College on the road.
  Read Full Article