Contact: Emily Zadny, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302 

Box Score

DALLAS, Texas (Sept. 2, 2017) – After holding its opponent to a scoreless first half, despite its best efforts, a much-needed goal in the final minutes of the game was too little too late for the North Central College women's soccer team to come back Saturday night against the Grove City College Wolverines, falling 2-1, at the Comet Soccer Complex in Dallas, Texas.

"It was a good game to get the nerves out of the way," said head coach Andrew Gamarra. "You have to give credit to Grove City; they had two clinical finishes and took full advantage. Our girls fought hard the entire game."

It did not take long for the Wolverines to get something going on offense, taking three shots in the first four minutes of the contest. Sophomore goalkeeper Gretchen Frantz held steadfast in goal, facing ten shots in the first half alone. Sophomore Nicole Novak hoped her shot attempt would get something started for the Cardinals, but missed wide right.

Coming out of halftime, Grove City got to work early with Elena Guerra finding Katherine Kouzelos in the 60th minute to make the score 1-0, Wolverines. Freshman Anna Brodjian tried to answer with a shot of her own one minute later, only to have it blocked.
Grove City kept its momentum, extending the lead 2-0 with a goal from Ruby Mattson in the 65th minute. Senior Sarah Gaither and sophomore Lexi Dimovski continued to create opportunities for the Cardinals, but could not connect.

It wasn't until the 85th minute that Dimovski found freshman Allyson Viederis, netting her first goal of her career and putting the Cardinals on the scoreboard, still trailing 2-1. Unfortunately, time expired before the Cardinals could make another attempt and the score remained final.

The Cardinals proved with their performance today that the sport knows no age, despite the Wolverines' hammering offense. Brodjian and Dimovski paced the squad with two shots on goal apiece to contribute to the team's eight total shots and kick off their college careers. Dimovski led the team with one assist and Frantz played a solid game between the posts, recording three saves to tie her single-game record.

North Central (0-1) is back in action on Sept. 3, taking on the University of Dallas at the Comet Soccer Complex at 5 P.M. Live coverage can be found HERE.