American University women’s soccer (0-1) lost their home opener to the George Washington Revolutionaries (1-0) by a score of 1-0 on Aug. 14 at Reeves Field.
After playing the previous season at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Maryland, while Reeves Field underwent a $1.5 million renovation, the Eagles are back. The upgrades to American’s field include a Bermuda grass field suited better for handling unexpected climates, along with a brand new scoreboard that sits directly behind the goal.
“It’s a blessing to be at home and to play in front of the home crowd, family and friends,” sixth-year head coach Marsha Harper said.
This match marked the 19th matchup between the Eagles and the Revolutionaries. Their previous matchup was a 1-1 draw last season at the Mount Vernon Athletic Field on Aug. 15, 2024.
American started the game flying high, pressing George Washington early and forcing the Revolutionaries into a few early turnovers in midfield. Sophomore forward Maddie Hurowitz got the first shot of the game in the seventh minute, narrowly missing the left post.
Hurowitz once again made her mark on the game by drawing a foul barely outside of the box, setting American up with a promising free kick opportunity. But junior defender Bella Vozar’s shot fell short of the goal before the Revolutionaries cleared the ball out of the box.
Freshman forward Logan Rivers set American up with another scoring opportunity in the 31st minute after kicking the ball off a defender for a corner kick. The cross from senior midfielder Phoebe Merrigan connected with fellow senior midfielder Avery Klingensmith, but her header sailed just over the bar for a goal kick.
After sophomore goalkeeper Addison Roemer got her first save in the 36th minute, Hurowitz pressured the GW backline, forcing a turnover and putting her in a one-on-one situation with the keeper, but her shot narrowly missed off the left post.
Soon before halftime, the Revolutionaries won a corner in the 38th minute. Sophomore defender Julia Bilal converted a cross into the bottom left corner, heading the ball into the net and giving George Washington their first goal of the game.
After one half of play, the Eagles found themselves trailing by a goal.
American started the second half by pressing the Revolutionaries. Their efforts nearly paid off in the 52nd minute as freshman defender Jayden Fisher found space just outside the middle of the box for a shot that narrowly missed the net.
Graduate student forward Jennifer McGuire got the next best chance of the game after a pass from junior midfielder Lauren Sanders found her on the run. With one defender hanging off her left, McGuire’s shot outside the box was punched over the bar by GW’s keeper and out of play for an AU corner. However, American were unable to capitalize on the scoring chance.
With four minutes to go, American was running out of time to find an equalizer. A pass found Fisher inside the box, but her shot was deflected out for a corner. Freshman defender Natalia Croce nearly became the hero as she connected on the corner kick, but her shot bounced around the box and was ultimately saved. The Revolutionaries held on to their lead and handed the Eagles their first loss of the season.
The Eagles outshot George Washington 10-to-4 on the day, with 2 shots on target. The Revolutionaries’ physical play saw them pick up 12 fouls to the Eagles’ 4. Vozar was handed a yellow card in the 84th minute of the game.
Despite the loss, the team is already looking towards improving in the future.
“It’s like what coach Owusu [Sekyere] told our team after the game. That it’s already in the past, so now we need to focus on moving forward,” Harper said postgame. “One of our captains, McGuire, also told the team that we can finish this weekend on the front foot.”
The Eagles have a chance to do just that when they head to Farmville, Virginia, to face Longwood University (1-0) on Aug. 17 before returning to Reeves Field to face VCU (0-0-1) on Aug. 21.
This article was edited by Matthias Jaylen Sandoval, Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Ariana Kavoossi.
