The Ichabods soccer team staved off the Riverhawks of Northeastern University to a draw 1-1 Friday evening, Oct. 9, 2021 at Yager Stadium.

Hounded by the pro-Washburn crowd for non-calls throughout the entire game, the referee awarded a penalty to Washburn in the 64th minute, which turned out to be a pivotal moment.

Senior midfielder Tera Lynch slotted it in low on the ground by the left post to take the lead.

“She’s a great finisher. She’s a great ball striker. I have full confidence in her every time she steps up,” said Head Coach Davy Phillips.

The Riverhawks, perhaps re-inspired after the deflation of the momentum they had worked to build, answered fourteen minutes later with an impressive goal, cleverly scored by Payton Lieb above the knee.

Running at pace to meet it, Lieb bound into the air, and with her jutted knee redirected the cross past sophomore goalkeeper Raegan Wells. It had an illusive, trick-shot effect and the element of surprise, executed smoothly by Lieb.

“I thought the first half we created some really dangerous chances. We definitely had the better first half. Then I thought, the second half was pretty even to be honest. They obviously had more chances. But I think we had more quality chances,” said Phillips.

The draw provides a firebreak to last weekend’s back-to-back away losses.

“Last week we just weren’t very good. That’s the bottom line. It had nothing to do with being on the road or at home. We fell out of our game model, we rushed the result and we got punished in this league,” said Phillips.

As things stand in the final month before the MIAA eight-team playoff rankings, the Ichabods are in sixth place. They will play three games against teams below them on the table, and three against teams above them.

Next they will be on the road to face Newman University on Oct. 15.

Match minutes

1’ Riley Wells taken down in the box. No penalty, no booking for simulation, out for a corner.

15’ Tera Lynch fires a strike with good contact and the goalkeeper parries it wide.

16’ A Riverhawk defender misjudges a bounce, and the on-running Vivi Soto meets it in stride for a volley but the goalkeeper saves it and it’s out for a corner.

21’ Riley Wells gets blocked by the keeper 1-on-1. But the play ultimately started with Tera Lynch in the backfield. A defender on her back, composed, she rounded the defender and played a completely safe 40 yard through ball in no danger whatsoever to Khloe Schuckman and Sydney Rosemann, so many seconds ahead was her vision.

31’ Another opponent, another game of Tera Lynch often getting up from the ground. Twice in the two minutes alone.

34’ Schuckman takes out NSU goalkeeper and teammate Rosemann in an attempt on a 50/50 ball.

36’ Schuckman handball. Elbow in an unnatural position, bounding over the defender and taking the ball with her.

42’ Carlee Thompson with a crunching tackle by the edge of the box. Probably lucky to escape a booking there for the visible scissor motion.

44’ Rosemann in the box has a pressured shot that goes less than a yard wide.

52’ NSU is putting on pressure. Their last four possessions have ended with the ball in Raegan Wells’ hands.

54’ Now a powerful shot from the edge of the box, straight to Wells.

55’ NSU got a free kick 40 yards out. A very impressive shot, fizzed into Wells with too much pace to handle, ricochets off her and the subsequent rebound shot from the Riverhawks gets blasted wide.

56’ Washburn crowd has been hounding the ref all game but frustration is beginning to creep into their shouts.

64’ Schuckman taken down inside the box. The ref looks to his assistants. It’s a PENALTY for Washburn.

65’ GOAL Tera Lynch converts from the spot.

77’ GOAL A neat goal by NSU off the knee from a cross.

79’ An NSU attempt from outside the box curls up and over onto the crossbar by the far post. It would have been unsaveable.

81’ Now they’ve hit the post in another attempt to knock in a cross. It’s all NSU these last fifteen minutes.

82’ A rolled NSU shot almost catches Wells off balance, but she gets to ground in plenty of time.

84’ Lynch and Schuckman back on to win the game.

88’ NSU player down with a hamstring cramp. Teammates stretch her out and play resumes before the ref has to call the physio.

FT YELLOW CARD The referee holds up a yellow card to Davy Phillips walking 20 yards away from him back to the sideline.

1ET 93’ Referee accidentally gets in the way of a Washburn forward pass. Tensions stay calm.

1ET 96’ Schuckman has a shot in the box that is caught by the goalkeeper.

1ET 97’ Wells comes off her line and intercepts a cleverly nudged first touch by an NSU player around the last Ichabod defender. The Riverhawk would have a shot on goal.

1ET 97’ YELLOW CARD NSU’s Kamari Jefferson is booked for a tackle just outside the box. Free kick to Washburn.

1ET 99’ Washburn crowd is upset to not have a penalty after Sydney Rosemann collided with a Riverhawk defender for an airborne 50/50 ball that ended up trickling to the goalkeeper’s feet.

2ET 105’ Schuckman is warned by the referee for colliding with opponents late.

Edited by Kyle Manthe
Edited by Ellie Walker