__Tribe opens with 2-0 loss to UNC-Greensboro; Kittleson scores twice in Sunday’s victory over N.C. State__
p. The 27th-ranked Tribe (1-1) started off their season this past weekend with two games Friday and Sunday in Raleigh, N.C. The Tribe lost their first contest 2-0 to University of North Carolina — Greensboro, but rallied Sunday to beat North Carolina State University 3-0.
p.Senior Emily Kittleson scored two goals for the Tribe in Sunday’s win and senior co-captain Mary MacKenzie Grier added the Tribe’s third goal. Junior keeper Meghan Walker totaled six saves in the shutout.
p. Twenty-five minutes into the game Kittelson connected on her first goal from 30 yards out, and Grier followed 41 seconds later with a goal of her own after settling junior Abbi Lauer’s free kick. Kittelson scored again early in the second half to record her first career multi-goal game.
p. In the College’s season opener, UNC-G ended the Tribe’s school-record unbeaten streak at 17 matches. The Spartans scored in the eighth minute and added another goal late in the second half to clinch the victory. UNC-G outshot the Tribe 9-6 and Spartan goalkeeper Katherine Ryan denied four shots to keep the College scoreless.
p. “That first game was disappointing,” Tribe Head Coach John Daly, last year’s CAA coach of the year and NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year, said. “We made mistakes on both ends of the field and had two defensive errors that deeply cost us. We should have beat them but failed to take advantage of our opportunities.
“We still wasted a lot of chances [Sunday against N.C. State] and could have easily scored five or six goals,” Daly said. “Emily had that great shot from 30 yards that gave their keeper no chance. It hurt us to not have [Danielle Collins] and hopefully we’ll get her back soon because she gives us another dimension.”
p. The Tribe coach also proudly affirmed the team’s goal of winning the CAA once more and earning an NCAA bid.
p. Collins, a member of the U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team and a Preseason All-CAA selection, will probably not play in this weekend’s games due to a rolled ankle, but the team hopes to have her back on pitch the following week.
p. The Tribe is coming off last year’s impressive season in which they went 16-1-4 (10-0-1 in the CAA) and set a school record with their .857 winning percentage. In addition, they won the CAA regular season title, earned an NCAA tournament bid and finished 8th in the final RPI rankings. Although the Tribe graduated five seniors from last year’s team, they return eight starters.
p. The College will host two first-time opponents in this weekend’s Tribe Invitational. First up for the College is Oklahoma University Friday at 7 p.m., followed by the University of Maine Sunday at 3 p.m.
