Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's soccer team stumbled in its return home from a four-match road trip as the Colonials fell to Howard, 3-1, this afternoon from the North Athletic Complex.
Howard (2-4-0, 0-0-0 SWAC) peppered Robert Morris (1-6-0, 0-0-0 NEC) with a flurry of shots in the opening minutes, but the Colonials withstood the early pressure. The Bison used that momentum to net the game's first goal, and after a RMU equalizer, they scored twice in the second half to grab a road result.
Over the first three minutes, Sydney Bruckner registered four saves while Megan DiNatale cleared a fifth shot off the line. The Colonials responded with a blocked shot by Jane Schleicher and one on target by Brittany O'Connell, but Howard regained possession and ultimately tallied the opener in the 21st minute. Whitney White created some space inside the 18 and curled one from the left wing, placing it just inside the far right post.
RMU battled back with some quality possession, eventually netting an equalizer in the 39th minute. After winning a corner kick, Anni Varjonen swung a cross in towards the far right post, connecting with the head of Keli Rosensteel. It was the first career goal for the sophomore midfielder, who came on as a substitute just 10 minutes earlier.
The Bison regained the lead in the 50th minute as Jordan Taylor let loose a knuckler from long range, tucking it just inside the crossbar. Taylor added a second in the 53rd minute to make it 3-1.
The Colonials had their fair share of opportunities to pull a goal back – including a pair of attempts by Schleicher that were saved – but to no avail.
Bruckner made 12 saves in the defeat. Julia Schmid replaced her for a 15-minute stretch, stopping a pair of shot attempts.
Robert Morris returns to the road for a single match on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 p.m. when it plays Youngstown State.
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