Maldonado
Kaire Umoja
0
Slippery Rock SRU (1-1-0, 0-0-0)
1
Winner Fairmont St. FAIR (1-1-0, 0-0-0)
Slippery Rock SRU
(1-1-0, 0-0-0)
0
Final
1
Fairmont St. FAIR
(1-1-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Slippery Rock SRU 0 0 0
Fairmont St. FAIR 1 0 1

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Fairmont State Athletic Communications

Maldonado’s Goal, Johnston’s 10 Saves Difference in Falcons’ Win Over Slippery Rock

Two freshman played key roles in leading the Falcons to a win in the 2023 home opener.

FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Freshman Isabella Maldonado scored a goal off of a free kick in the 29th minute and Olivia Johnston collected 10 saves and her first career clean sheet as the Fairmont State (1-1-0) women's soccer team knocked off Slippery Rock (1-1-0) on Sunday (Sept. 3) at Duvall-Rosier Field.
 
Kylee Kosek, a transfer from Slippery Rock, created an early scoring opportunity in the sixth minute and fired a shot on goal. Lauren Dye followed with a shot on goal in the ninth minute and the Falcons kept the pressure on SRU. After a SRU foul, Maldonado stepped up to take the free kick just outside the box. She lofted the ball with her right foot over the Slippery Rock 'keeper to the top left corner of the net and put the Falcons ahead 1-0 in the 29th minute.
 
"When I saw the foul I knew it was a really comfortable spot for me to be in," said Maldonado. "I knew where I was going to place the ball, so at that point I relied on my technique to finish."
 
Alejandra Puerto registered a shot on goal in the 41st minute that was saved by SRU. Johnston and the Fairmont State defense kept The Rock off the scoreboard in the first half with Johnston grabbing five first half saves. The Falcons led 1-0 at the break.
 
Slippery Rock controlled possession 58% in the second half and 54% of the entire game. The Falcons' defensive unit managed to fend off SRU and held strong in the defensive half of the field. SRU's best scoring opportunity came in the 89th minute when Morgan Sarver's shot was saved by Johnston. Johnston, a freshman from Sellersburg, Ind., racked up 10 saves on the afternoon and picked up her first clean sheet and victory donning a Fairmont State uniform.
 
"It was a great team effort," said Johnston. "I could not have done it without my teammates, and we held strong throughout the match. It was a great defensive effort."
 
Fairmont State women's soccer will return to the pitch next Sunday (Sept. 10), when the West Liberty Hilltoppers will visit Fairmont in the Mountain East Conference opener. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Duvall-Rosier Field.
 
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