PHILADELPHIA, PA – Philadelphia Lone Star FC Women moved top of the WPSL Colonial Division table after obtaining four points over the weekend at home with a 1-1 draw and 5-1 win against CAFC Osprey (DE) and Old Dominion Cesena USA (VA), respectively.
SATURDAY, JUNE 8 | PLSFC WOMEN 1-1 CAFC OSPREY
In their first-ever home game in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, Philadelphia Lone Star FC Women battled to a 1-1 draw against then division leaders CAFC Osprey of Delaware in front of a record home crowd of 413.
The Osprey struck first with just four minutes on the clock when Allison Poarch found herself with too much space on the left to run at goal and dribbled past goalie Erin McKinney before hitting the ball in an empty net.
After conceding that early, the Stars became to exert pressure in the match and almost equalized through Raenah Campbell in the 12th minute when her 20-yd shot went just over the bar.
The Stars didn’t wait too long to score because two minutes later after Campbell’s miss, Natalie Pantalone was tripped in the box after dribbling past two defenders. Pantalone converted the resulting penalty kick to tie the game 1-1 in the 15th minute.
The score would remain at 1-1 at half-time and full-time despite both teams having several changes to add to the scoreline.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9 | PLSFC WOMEN 5-1 OLD DOMINION
Less than 24 hours after their hard-fought 1-1 draw on Saturday, Philadelphia Lone Star FC Women got their first-ever home win in the WPSL after putting on a five-star performance against Old Dominion Cesena USA with a 5-1 win.
Natalie Pantalone opened the scoring in the 7th minute an absolute stunner from 20 yards. After receiving a pass from Emily McNesby, Pantalone took a single touch before rocketing a 25-yard shot over goalkeeper Sydney Sherman. This was Pantalone’s second goal in two successive games after her equalizing goal in Saturday’s match.
The Stars extended their lead in the 15th minute through Emilie Kupsov who shook off her marker to find the back of the net with a powerful shot from the right side of the 18-yard box, her first of the season.
Old Dominion almost pulled one back in the 17th minute but Ali Shick was able to clear the ball off the line to keep the score at 2-0.
After that scare, the Stars added another goal a minute later. Shannon Casey and Brianna Banks exchanged couple of passes before Banks dribbled past two defenders to poke the ball in the net for the 3-0 lead. This was Banks’ second goal of the season.
Despite being three goals down, Old Dominion continued to fight back and they almost got on the score sheet in the 34th minute when a powerful shot from 20 yards looked like it was hitting the back of the net only for goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff to stretch herself full-length and push the ball for a corner.
The Stars would find themselves four goals ahead in the 40th minute after Allison Paonessa intercepted a free kick to send a beautiful chip over the recovering goalie for her first goal of the season.
Old Dominion again almost pulled one back just before half-time but once again Hancuff was on hand to thwart their attempt to keep the score at 4-0 at half-time.
After the break, the Stars began where they left off and added another goal in the 57th minute through Emily McNesby, her first of the season for a 5-0 lead.
Old Dominion had two chances to score after that goal but goalie Jordynn Stallard, who came on as a substitute for Hensley Hancuff, denied them a goal with two saves.
Raenah Campbell almost made it six for the Stars but her powerful 20-yard shot was saved by goalie Sydney Sherman.
Old Dominion finally got on the score sheet in the 88th minute through Emily Mothersbaugh from Catherine Kwitnieski‘s assist but that proved to be just a consolation as Philadelphia Lone Star FC Women went on to win 5-1.
With the win, Philadelphia Lone Star FC Women moved on top of the WPSL Colonial Division standings with a 2-1-1 record half-way through the regular season. They are tied on seven points with Philly Fever who they travel to on Thursday, June 13th.
Photo Credit: Heather Barry Images
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