EWING, N.J. – The No. 10 TCNJ women's soccer team climbed its way out of an early hole in Saturday's NJAC opener, equalizing late in the first half and netting the go-ahead goal late in the second for a 2-1 victory over visiting Kean on the rain-soaked Lions Stadium turf.
 
Caroline Freer's first career goal, a header off a free kick by Ava Curtis with just over six minutes to play, sent the Lions (7-0-2, 1-0) to a dramatic result against a determined Cougars side.
 
Battling the elements as well as a Kean squad that was tabbed the league's 'dark horse' in the NJAC preseason poll. The Lions came within a whisker of an opening goal in the first minute, when a tic-tac-toe sequence from Taylor Krott to Jenny Ward resulted in a chance for Victoria D'Imperio. The ball squirted off her feet and to the side of the box, where Emily Weidner fired a shot that a Kean defender cleared off the line.
 
Two minutes later, it was the Cougars (5-4, 0-1) grabbing a shock lead through Ella Petrosh, who latched onto an errant back-pass and beat an on-rushing Ellen Williams into the lower right corner of the net to put the hosts in an early hole.
 
TCNJ thoroughly controlled possession and had plenty of chances to get even, but looked like it might go into the break still down a goal. That changed in the 39^th minute, when Alyssa Alfano squared a pass for Jaime Girtain, who took a touch and tapped a pass ahead for D'Imperio. The senior star coolly volleyed the ball out of the air with a high right leg and beat Kean's Abigail Wing to level the proceedings.
 
The Lions threatened immediately in the second half, nearly taking their first lead two minutes after the intermission as Taylor Krott's hard shot rebounded out for Jenny Ward, who tried to follow it up but saw her close-range rebound effort blocked away. A few minutes later, Weidner blasted a shot off the top of the crossbar from the right side of the box.
 
TCNJ had a goal waved off just shy of the hour mark. Weidner's low shot spilled off Wing's hands and Krott was there to hammer home the rebound, but was deemed offsides.
 
The Lions threatened again in the 73^rd minute, when D'Imperio's cross from the right side fell right for Alfano, whose left-footed effort was slightly mishit and sailed wide. Ava Curtis picked out D'Imperio with a long cross in the 81^st minute, but D'Imperio's rising header was just off the mark.
 
The Lions finally found their game-winner with 6:08 to go as Freer rose highest at the far post to head home Curtis' free kick after a Cougar foul.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ racked up a 31-1 shot advantage, accounting for 21 shots in the second half alone as well as every shot after Kean's 4^th-minute opener
• The Lions had seven corners to none for the Cougars
• D'Imperio was dangerous throughout with a game-high nine shots; she had a rocket 30-yarder tipped over the bar at the 15-minute mark of the first half
• Weidner put three of her five shots on target, and Freer, Krott, and Abby Najdzinowicz each accounted for a pair of shots on goal

NOTES

• D'Imperio scored for the second time in as many games and now has a team-leading four goals on the year
• D'Imperio moved into a tie with Jennifer Mazzucco (1992-95) and Tracy Pear (1991-94) for ninth on the all-time points list with 92
• Alfano extended her team-leading assist tally to six, and Curtis registered the 12^th of her career
• Girtain's assist was her first point of the season and the third of her career
• Krott and Ward each made their first career start

UP NEXT

• The Lions head to Stockton on Wednesday