RICHMOND, Va. - Sophomore Tori Burchett broke a
scoreless tie in the 107th minute of double-overtime with her first
career game-winning goal to launch the St. Bonaventure women's
soccer team to a thrilling 1-0 win at Richmond on Sunday
afternoon.
The win equals the single-season record of six Atlantic 10 wins set
by last year's club, while the shutout is the Brown and White's
fifth in conference play, a new program record.
The Bonnies now stand at 6-2 in the A-10, good for 18 points and a
tie for third place heading into the final week of regular season
play. The win also denied the Spiders (8-8-2) from passing the
Brown and White in the league standings.
"It was a really competitive soccer game. Each team hit the
crossbar and Richmond cleared a certain goal off the line in the
first overtime, but I am so proud of the kind of heart we showed,"
said head coach Manoj Khettry.
Burchett's fifth goal of the season started on a free kick from
just over the midfield line. Sophomore Janelle Taylor sent the kick
into the goal box where it was deflected to the right side of the
goal. With her back to the charging Richmond goalie, Burchett
flicked the ball over her head and into the far left post for the
goal.
"Every player who played did so with real commitment towards our
goal of making it back to the A-10 Tournament. Tori's goal was very
opportunistic and a great goal," Khettry said.
Each team had plenty of good scoring chances throughout the game,
as the Bonnies posted a 16-11 advantage in shots and 8-4 edge in
corner kicks.
Junior keeper Nicole Markert posted her league-leading fifth
shutout in conference play making four saves. Markert's
counterpart, Richmond goalie Melissa Pacheco, made seven saves,
including five in the second half.
Eight different players registered a shot for the Bonnies, led by a
five from junior Anna Cunningham.
Now one win shy of registering double-digit victories for the
second straight season, St. Bonaventure will host a trio of A-10
games over the week. Dayton will be the first to visit
McGraw-Jennings Field on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The game is a makeup
of the Oct. 16th game that was cancelled due to weather.
"Next week is going to be a challenging week, but if we play with
the kind of heart we showed today, I know all of us will be pleased
with our performance."