After losing 2-0 to Lehigh University (2-0) in the first round of the BAE Systems Classic held at West Point, freshmen Janessa Banwell and Brooke McCalla stepped up the offense and led the UB women's soccer team to a 3-2 victory over Army.
"That was the start of the regular season and we have a lot of freshmen, we came out shaky in the first half," said head coach Jean A. Tassy about Saturday's game.
After giving up 22 shots on goal and not scoring in their season opener, the Bulls (1-1) went into Sunday's game as a definite underdog to an Army team that was ranked 12th in the Northeast Region in
"For us, we came in to play," said Tassy. "It's just a situation where we had a better half."
Just four minutes into the game the Bulls jumped out to an early lead when Banwell scored the first goal of the contest on an assist from senior Natalia Crofut.
Forty-nine seconds later, McCalla tallied her first career goal on an assist from junior Jessica Roesch, giving the Bulls a 2-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
Later in the half, McCalla showcased her passing skills as she notched her second career assist delivering a cross to sophomore Kathleen Fage. Fage deposited the ball at the far post putting the Bulls ahead by three at the half.
"The performance of the freshmen is due to the midfield which is made up of upperclassmen," said Tassy.
Not to be outdone on their home turf, the Black Knights (0-2) came out strong in the second half, scoring a goal in the 71st minute and then again in the 73rd minute.
After being beaten twice, once to each side of the net, senior goaltender Anna-Lesa Calvert tightened up her game and stopped eight shots to secure a 3-2 Bulls victory.
Calvert's efforts in net were enough to earn her All-Tournament team honors, touting 12 saves on the weekend. Calvert also recorded her 250th career save, making her the fourth goalkeeper in UB history to reach the milestone.
"She makes saves when she needs to make saves," said Tassy. "I have difficult time pinpointing one player out from the team. I thought the defense played a great game and (Calvert) made saves when she had to."
Also earning All-Tournament team honors for the Bulls were midfielders Roesch and Crofut. Crofut left the weekend nine points shy of tying for 24th in points in MAC history.
The Bulls turn their attention to this weekend's tournament in Orlando, Florida, where they will face Jacksonville in the first round on Friday at 4:00 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
