No. 6 Tartans Erase Two-Goal Deficit; Win in OT

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - Sophomore Grant Wilmer's (Atanta, Ga./Holy Innocents' Episcopall School) overtime goal with 2:17 to play gave the sixth-ranked Carnegie Mellon University women's soccer team a 3-2 victory against visiting Capital University on Sunday, September 27. The Tartans are now 8-0-1 on the year while the Crusaders fall to an even 4-4.

The Tartans found themselves down for the first time this season when Capital scored in the 28th minute. The ball bounced around in front of the Tartan goal and the Crusaders won the ball with a header that was touched down by Chloe Brown. With her back to the goal, Brown heeled the ball back through a defender and Monique Hanayik turned and fired a shot for the first goal of the game.

Six minutes later, Hanayik struck again after the Crusaders played the ball out of the back and swung it to the left sideline. Mary Bushee slipped a pass forward into the 18-yard box where Hanayik beat a defender to the ball and struck a low shot to the near post for the Crusaders' two-goal lead.

The Tartans cut the deficit in half not even two minutes into the second half. A corner kick was awarded for the Tartans and sophomore Tori Iatarola (West Dundee, Ill./Loyola Academy) put the pass right on the head of sophomore Sienna Stritter (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo School) who put the ball into the opposite post for her third goal of the year.

The Tartans continued to pressure the Crusaders for the remainder of the half, recording 10 more shots including six on goal before sophomore Morgan Kontor (Annapolis, Md./Severn School) broke the plane of the goal mouth with a header at the back post with 38 seconds to play in half. Kontor ran onto a lofted cross off the endline after sophomore Haili Adams (Kirkland, Wash./Juanita) beat a defender to the right and dribbled into the 18-yard box before serving the ball for Kontor.

Wilmer's game-winner came when Iatarola's shot from inside the six-yard box was saved but not controlled by Alexis Brand. Wilmer was there to finish the loose ball for her third goal of the year.

The Tartans are now 8-0-1 on the year as they begin University Athletic Association (UAA) play on Saturday, October 3 at 12th-ranked Brandeis University at 10:30 a.m.