MEADVILLE, Pa. – Visiting Denison scored 17 seconds into double overtime to hand the Gators a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat at a sun-splashed Robertson Athletic Complex.
In a re-match of the 2014 North Coast Athletic Conference semifinals, the two teams battled toe to toe over the first 100 minutes of action, until the Big Red's Anne Denz connected on the game-winner in the opening minute of the second overtime to end the game.
With the win, Denison, ranked ninth in the most recent D3Soccer.com Top 25 poll, improves to 11-1 overall, and 3-0 in the NCAC. The loss is the Gators' first in NCAC play, moving their record to 0-1-1 in conference, and 2-9-1 overall.
Led by freshman keeper Christina Gallagher, the Gator defense was strong throughout. Gallagher made a career-high 13 saves, including nine in the second half, against a Big Red team that entered the matchup as the NCAC's leader in both goals (3.2) and shots (21.6) per game.
The evenly-played first half was heavy on defense, as Denison entered the intermission with a slim 4-3 edge in shots. Though the Big Red also had a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks, the Gators' had a slight advantage in possession, and a pair of big scoring opportunities.
The hosts' two best chances to get on the board in the first half came midway through. In the 25th minute, senior Niki Augustine curved in a blast from 20 yards out that caught the far post. On its way to caroming over the goal line, Denison keeper Jenny Herold scrambled to smother it and preserve the scoreless tie. Two minutes later, the Big Red dodged another bullet, as a Gator blast from nearly 30 yards out rocketed just off the crossbar and out of play.
Gallagher kept the Big Red off the board in the first half by posting three saves, including a stop with just over two minutes left in the first half on a one-timer in front off a Denison corner kick.
The Big Red came out of the intermission on the attack, maintaining possession for long stretches from the start of the second stanza. Gallagher made two saves over the first three minutes of the half, before her third stop came on a direct kick through traffic in the 59th minute.
Allegheny's defense continued to withstand the Denison pressure as regulation time wound down. Between the 73rd and 86th minutes, the Big Red were granted three corner kicks and five shots, but were kept off the board, as Gallagher made four more saves over the span.
In the 88th minute, the Gators went on the attack, but saw one shot sail high and another blocked in front, and the second half ended in a scoreless tie.
Both teams continued to look for offense over the first extra session, with Gallagher and Herold each making saves in the first 90 seconds. The Gators had their best scoring chance since the first half with 2:30 remaining, but Hannah Zangara's leaping header attempt off of a Lauren Miller corner kick went just over the crossbar, and the game would enter a second overtime still scoreless.
Receiving possession to open the second overtime, Denison wasted little time in scoring the game winner. Thirty seconds in, the Big Red's Jacquie Graham carried the ball deep inside Gator territory to the goal line, before sending a centering pass to just inside the top of the box to Denz, who blasted home the game-winner.
Denison ended the day with an 18-10 advantage in shots, including a 14-2 margin in shots on goal. Augustine led the Gators with three shot attempts, while Isabella Martinez had both shots on goal. Gallagher's 13 saves were the most for a Gator keeper since Oct. 16, 2015, when Beth Van Parys stopped 13 shots against Ohio Wesleyan.
Allegheny will look to halt its two-game losing stream on Wednesday, when they travel to NCAC foe Oberlin for a 7 p.m. contest.
