Boxers Dig Past Geoducks On Tuffey's Last Second Goal
Box Score
FOREST GROVE – Pacific nearly went into extra time in their home and season soccer opener, but
Jordan Bodily and
Emily Tuffey had other plans for the evening.
In the waning seconds of match, Bodily (Sr., Eagle, Idaho) connected with Tuffey (Valencia, Calif.) on a perfectly angled pass and the freshman forward buried a tiebreaking goal with three seconds left in regulation to send the Boxers to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Evergreen State in women's soccer action at Lincoln Park Stadium.
A pair of freshman newcomers accounted for both Pacific goals, as
Kailee Green (Hillsboro, Ore.) scored Pacific's first goal of the season earlier in the second half.
The Boxers (1-0-0) were able to implement their game plan most of the way, spacing the field well, exhibiting good ball control and extended possessions, particularly in the second half, while creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Evergreen State's (0-2-0) opportunities were few and far between in the second half, but junior midfielder Teresa Lopez took advantage of a soft spot in the Boxer penalty box to punch in a game-tying goal in the 72nd second minute of play.
Forcing six corner kicks in the first half to none for Evergreen State, the Boxers finally cracked the scoreboard when senior forward
Shekema McCarthy (Davis, Calif.) bent a pass to the left post where Green tapped the ball past the keeper with the outside of her right foot to give Pacific a 1-0 lead at the 55-minute mark. The 5-3 speedster led Pacific with three shots on goal.
Despite a decisive edge in possession, Pacific was unable to hold the lead as Evergreen State midfielder Teresa Lopez took advantage of some open space in the Boxer penalty box to fire in the equalizing goal in the 72nd minute.
Both teams had their chances to add to the score in the final 15 minutes. Bodily served a pass deep into the Geoducks box, where freshman goalkeeper Lauren Davidson was able to smother the ball at the feet of
Kaitlyn Harper to prevent a point blank shot. Minutes later, senior midfielder
Bryanna DeLima (Hilo, Hawaii) mistimed a half-volley off a cross to the far post that just curved wide of the frame.
The Boxers breathed a huge sigh of relief in the 83rd minute when a defensive misplay left Geoducks' freshman forward Katie Hebein with a free run toward the Pacific goal. Boxers' goalkeeper
Brittany Hartmann (Jr., Portland, Ore.) came off her line and Hebein tried to squeeze a shot inside the near post, but left it wide and the game tied at 1-1, setting up Bodily and Tuffey's heroics.
With three stops in the match, Hartmann had one other tough save, closing down the near post to make a smothering save of Dierdre Dornay's close-range shot in the 31st minute.
The Boxers return to action Friday night with a home match-up against Northwest Christian at 7:00 p.m. at Lincoln Park Stadium.
