Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris University women's soccer sophomore midfielder Kristina Kelley provided a golden goal in every sense of the word, as her 40-yard strike in the 98th minute lifted the Colonials over UMBC in overtime, 2-1, this afternoon from the North Athletic Complex.
In similar fashion to her first career goal – which like today's tally, proved to be a game-winner – Kelley gave herself just enough space before unleashing a shot that found a spot between the goalkeeper's gloves and the crossbar.
Robert Morris (1-3-0, 0-0-0 NEC) was outshot by UMBC (1-2-1, 0-0-0 America East) on the afternoon, 15-10, but the Colonials held a 7-5 edge in that department between the second half and overtime.
After an attempt from a tough angle by Maleha Kureishy was easily saved, the Retrievers took control of the contest by holding the majority of the possession. Three saves over a 10-minute span by Sydney Bruckner kept the match scoreless and derailed the visitors' momentum, and the pendulum then swung RMU's way in the 38th minute when Jane Schleicher buried a left-footed strike into the lower right corner after some fancy footwork.
UMBC equalized in the 68th minute with a highlight-reel goal when Christina Corbi scored on a free kick from 30 yards out.
The Colonials had a couple of chances soon after Corbi's tally, starting with a Kelley attempt that flew wide of the goal. Taylor Burkley, who had the assist on Schleicher's goal, gave it a try in the 71st minute, but her shot was blocked by a defender.
Schleicher led all players with five shots in the contest, two of which came in the just before the second half horn and in the 96th minute. The latter nearly became the winner, as she carried the ball from the left wing to across the field before unleashing a shot to the left post that forced a diving save.
Bruckner kept it at 1-1 a minute later when she corralled a header after some chaos in the penalty box. That set the scene for Kelley, who found the back of the net just 44 seconds later.
Bruckner made five saves to pick up her first career win.
Robert Morris concludes a two-game home stand on Friday, Sept. 1 at 4:00 p.m. when it hosts Niagara.
