FLUSHING, N.Y. – It was two tough road games to open the season and the Queens College women's soccer team home opener would not get any easier Wednesday evening.
On a very hot September evening, the Knights welcomed regional-ranked #4 Thomas Jefferson University Rams to Flushing for a non-conference match. After Queens took a 1-0 lead into halftime, the Rams would tie the match in the 75
th minute before junior
Julia Ragone (Centereach, N.Y.) stunned the visitors in the 87
th minute to defeat the Rams to the final score of 2-1.
With the win, the Knights improved their record to 1-1-1 on the season, while the Rams fell to 0-2-1 on the year.
Match Recap
Playing under very hot conditions, the Knights would have to weather the blazing sun and a tough Rams team on Wednesday evening.
Just two minutes into play it would be all Ragone and the Knights as the Centereach native tallied a shot heading to the bottom left of the goal but it would be denied by an alert Rams goalie.
The Rams would control the next 20 minutes of play recording three shots including a shot on goal but Queens goalie
Erin Kelly (Massapequa, N.Y.) would be up to the task to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.
After defending back-to-back corner kicks from the Rams, the Knights would go on the counterattack and would be awarded through the rookie connection of
Jenna Rosenberger (Smithtown, N.Y.) and
Lluvy Lewis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) to take the early lead.
Rosenberger would find Lewis on a through ball before the Valley Stream native blasted a shot from 17 yards out to beat the Rams goalie into the top left corner for her first career goal as Queens took an early 1-0 lead.
It would be a defensive battle for the remainder of the first half, but the Knights would take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Queens kept the attacking pressure to open the second half as they were called for an offside in the 50
thminute of play before Rosenberger's shot deflected off the top woodwork in the 59
th minute to deny the home side their second goal of the match.
Staying on the attack, the Knights would continue to keep the pressure on until the 75
thminute of play as Jefferson knotted the game.
With the Rams now applying pressure on the Knights defense, an alert Kelly would keep the game tied in the 77
th minute.
Entering the final 10 minutes of play, Queens would turn on the jets as Ragone and junior
Jacklyn Diel (Stony Brook, N.Y.) shots on goal would be turned away.
But in the 87
th minute, Ragone would tally her first game-winning goal of the season with a blast from the top of the 18-yard box into the top left corner as the Knights took a 2-1 lead.
Jefferson would get one final attempt in the 88
th minute but the shot would sail too high as the Knights defeated their first regional-ranked opponent of the year to earn a 2-1 victory in their 2023 home opener.
Match Highlights
- Lewis recorded her first career goal, while Ragone tallied her eighth career goal and her career game-winning goal.
- Rosenberger notched her first career assist in the win.
- Kelly made four saves in the net including three in the second half.
- Jefferson held an 11-10 shot advantage, while Queens recorded a 6-5 shots on goal margin.
Next Match
Head coach
Thomas Paris and the Knights
(1-1-1 Overall) conclude the week on the road on Friday (Sept. 8) afternoon as they travel to Orangeburg, N.Y. against the Chargers of Dominican University of New York
(0-3 Overall) in non-conference play. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), Instagram (qcknightsny), women's soccer (qcwsoccer)
