Frostburg State University Athletics

FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Women's Soccer team battled to a 0-0 draw with No. 16 Fairmont State on the road Sunday afternoon.
 
The opening five minutes were dominated by the Bobcats, creating a flurry chances in the timeframe. From the kick off, some pressure applied to the Fighting Falcons' back line resulted in a corner, as junior Rayiah Davis got her head on the ball but sent it looping wide. Junior Cassidy Paige then threaded a pass through to classmate Mollie Rebuck charging in on goal but couldn't get her effort on frame. Off a throw-in, senior Madison Hinton hit a volley that took a pair of deflections before finding its way to keeper Olivia Johnston.
 
Fairmont finally settled themselves in after the early scares, as a shot off a corner fell kindly to senior goalkeeper Mia Graff. The Bobcats got themselves back on the ascendancy near the 10-minute mark, as a scramble off a corner gave Davis a great chance to score, but Johnston reacted quickly enough to make a catch through some bodies. Keeping up the momentum, Paige played an excellent pass down the right wing to junior Madison Hobson, whose cross was chested towards goal by Rebuck but came off the outside of the post. From the resulting corner, junior Ana Davis swiveled for a shot from outside the box but didn't have enough pace to trouble Johnston.
 
The Falcons then turned things into a back-and-forth affair over the next 15 minutes in terms of chances, as Sam Yuen sent a shot from distance wide of the mark, while Rebuck did the same a minute later. At the midway point of the half, Hobson sent a clearance up-field which Rebuck latched onto, but couldn't get her shot on target from a tight angle. Three minutes later, Fairmont nearly had a goal come from nothing, as Serenity Thomas sent a low cross that came back off the bottom of the post and away.
 
Both sides had shooting opportunities go begging for a five-minute spell, with Agnes Bjork going wide for the hosts while sophomore Reese Rizzo and Hinton missed left for the Bobcats. Now inside the final 15 of the half, Graff did well to parry away a dangerous corner kick while junior Elena Fernandez had a shot charged down. After giving the ball away on a clearance, Graff was able to gather a long shot from Dayra Dinarte, as the final chance of the first period fell to sophomore Emma Hostetler, who tried to catch Johnston off her line but hit the ball right at her, ending the first half scoreless.
 
Each team had an opportunity in the first five minutes out of the break, as Valentina Gianinetto blazed over bar for Fairmont while Hinton had a 30-yard effort go well wide. Over the next 20 minutes, there would only be one effort on target, as junior Ainsley Wilson launched a ball into the box that took a high bounce and had to be tipped onto the bar by Johnston, who also was able to keep the ball away from an onrushing Rebuck.
 
The Falcons would get their first effort on target of the half with just over 20 minutes left to play, as Arrington Sparks sent a curling shot from outside the box that was easily caught by Graff. Rebuck continued to threaten the Fairmont defense, as she bullied her way into possession down the right wing, sending a shot that curled just the wrong side of the post with Johnston beaten.
 
Headed to the final 10 minutes, Yuen had a trio of chances in quick succession, with two being blocked and the last going high over the bar. Ana Davis tried to give Frostburg the breakthrough by getting onto the end of a Paige cross but hit too close to Johnston. As the game went end-to-end, Graff made an easy save on a left-footed shot by Thomas, while Rebuck tried to catch Johnston out at her near post but she was quickly down to make the save. Rayiah Davis would have the last real chance of the day, as she got her head to a Hinton free kick but couldn't get near Johnston's goal, as the match ended 0-0.
 
Despite the scoreline, both sides racked up shots, with Frostburg holding a 21-14 advantage and a 9-6 edge in efforts on target.
 
With the result, the Bobcats move to 3-1-1 on the year while Fairmont now stands at 4-0-1. Frostburg will next return home on Wednesday, September 16 to host West Liberty at 5 p.m. Information and updates will be posted at frostburgsports.com.