GRINNELL, Iowa – Just when it looked as if the Grinnell College women's soccer team was heading to overtime, the Pioneers showed they had different plans.
Quinn Berleman-Paul '21 countered Ripon College's match-tying goal in the 80th minute with a score of her own in the 87th minute, lifting Grinnell to a 3-2 victory Saturday at Springer Field.
The Senior Day victory – coach
Kirsten Koester's 50th win as Pioneer coach - propelled Grinnell to 3-1-1 in the Midwest Conference and 6-5-2 overall. Ripon fell to 1-1-1 in the league and 3-8-1 in all games.
Grinnell dominated the shots battle by a 27-9 margin, including a 19-5 edge in shots on goal and 8-1 command in corner kicks.
Ripon scored in the fifth minute, but
Alyssa Radakovich '21 scored her fifth goal of the season in the 30th minute to force a 1-all tie. On the play,
Anna Engelhardt '21 faked out a defender near midfield and raced with the ball before sending a nice touch to Radakovich in the middle. Near the top of the box, Radakovich lofted a perfect ball over the keeper's head into the top part of the net. It was Engelhardt's second assist of the year.
Esmé Kayim-Yanko '21 put Grinnell up early in the second half, tallying her team-leading sixth goal of the season in the 57th minute. She was fed a pass by Radakovich and outran her defender, got into the box and fired a shot from the right side about six yards out. The keeper first appeared to stop it, but it bounced by her and into the goal.
Ripon then scored its match-tying goal before Berleman-Paul sent the Pioneers into celebration seven minutes later with her first goal of the year. Kayim-Yanko, who got her first assist of the year, beat a defender to the ball on the right side of the field. She made a sliding pass to Berleman-Paul near the top of the box and Berleman-Paul spun her body to send a spot-on shot from the right top side of the box into the upper left part of the goal.
Valencia Alvarez '20 had six of Grinnell's shots,
Haley Reynolds '21 tallied five, Radakovich had four and
Simo Bambi '20 and Kayim-Yanko added three apiece.
Elizabeth Hunt '21 earned the victory at keeper, making three saves.
The Pioneers are right back at it Sunday, facing St. Norbert College at Springer Field. Action begins at 11 a.m.
