RADNOR, Pa. – The Owls soccer team put in a resilient effort earlier Thursday afternoon in their season opener. Facing a hostile environment on the road and a tough opponent in Cabrini, Bryn Mawr went down 2-0 after a tough first half of action. However, the Owls buckled down and battled through, ultimately scoring a goal midway through the second half and having several cracks at a potential tying goal late in the game. Ultimately, Cabrini held on for a 2-1 victory on the night, but before the Owls outshot and outscored their hosts in the second half. Amanda Cruz scored her first career goal to open the Bryn Mawr scoring account this season while Natalia Chorzepa racked up 11 saves in her Owls debut.

Cabrini was on the front foot early in the contest, as the hosts looked to protect their home field by pouring it on the Owls in the opening run of action. The Cavaliers racked up eight shots in the first 22 minutes of play, but Bryn Mawr's defense and goalkeeping stood firm against the onslaught. The Owls forced several of those Cabrini shots to come from long distance or tough angles. Chorzepa did a great job to collect the rest, as the first-year made six stops in that opening 22-minute stretch.

After weathering that opening flurry, Bryn Mawr finally started to settle in and get some opportunities of their own. The Owls earned a corner kick in the 27th minute of play and sent a great service into the top of the penalty area. Ariel Shultz got a first-time touch on the ball and sent it rocketing toward the far post, but it sailed just wide of the goal. A minute later, Daniela Dosen had a ball carom off her feet and on goal, but it was stopped by the Cabrini goalkeeper. The Owls continued their run of pressure over the next couple minutes, with Paige Mastripolito sending a shot wide of the Cabrini cage as well.

However, just when it seemed the tide was turning in favor of Bryn Mawr, Cabrini was able to break through with the first goal of the game. After turning play back down to the other side of the field, the Cavaliers worked the ball into the box on the right endline. Bryn Mawr defended well, but there was a tangle of feet which the referee judged to be a foul on the Owls, giving Cabrini a penalty kick. Chorzepa did her best to guess the right way with a strong dive to her left, but Rebekah Cunningham went the other way and slotted the ball into the back of the net to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. They would double their advantage less than ten minutes later, pouncing on a loose ball after a cross into the penalty area and firing home for a 2-0 lead which they would take into the halftime break.

Despite the tough start, Bryn Mawr did a great job of coming back with intensity and great spirit, and ultimately the Owls got the better of their opponents in the second half. The Owls forced Cabrini into a save early on in the half as Dosen put another shot on goal. Shultz, Dosen, and Floreck all had shots get blocked or go wide in the next ten minutes of play. The it was Isabelle Kuszyk's turn to get in on the action, as the senior midfielder sent a rocket of a blast from the top of the penalty area towards the left post, only to see Cabrini's goalkeeper make a diving save on the effort.

All the pressure finally paid off in the 82nd minute, as first-year Amanda Cruz would get the Owls their first goal of the season. After a foul right in front of their own bench, Grace Floreck stepped up and sent a great free kick into the mix around the top of the penalty area. Paige Mastripolito got to the ball first in the air, sending a header to the feet of Koren Woznicki on the left side. The senior made a great first-touch pass with her left foot to her right, where Cruz was able to dig the ball back across her body and into the left side of the net.

That goal got the Owls back within one, and they continued to keep the pressure on with time winding down. Mastripolito would get the best opportunity of the closing minutes for the Owls, but her right-footed effort from the right side of the box was scooped up by the Cabrini keeper, and that closed the book on the contest.

Despite the tough result, today's performance is one the Owls can certainly build on, as they dominated the game for long stretches. They will look to carry some of their momentum from today's strong second half into their next contest, which is set for Sunday, September 4. Bryn Mawr will welcome Widener to campus on Sunday for their home-opener, with gametime on Applebee Field set for 2:00 PM.