Lesbirel's Goal with 2:12 Remaining Lifts Bears to 3-2 Win over UMass

Thursday, September 23

4:30 pm

Brown University

4-2-1

Massachusetts

3-5-0

UMass

Brown

Lesbirel's Goal with 2:12 Remaining Lifts Bears to 3-2 Win over UMass

9/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Postgame thoughts from Marybeth Lesbirel '12 and Head Coach Phil Pincince available here.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Junior Marybeth Lesbirel (Holmdel, NJ) scored her first goal of the season with 2:12 remaining in regulation to break a 2-2 tie and lift the Brown women's soccer team (4-2-1) to a 3-2 victory over UMass (3-5-0) Thursday afternoon at Stevenson Field. The win stretches Brown's unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1) heading into Sunday's Ivy opener.

Lesbirel's goal was the fourth quality chance for the Bears in the second half, as both freshman Kiersten Berg (Salt Lake City, UT) and Lesbirel had one-on-one chances saved by the UMass goalie or that sailed wide or high of the net.

With time ticking down in regulation, Lesbirel took a pass on the left side from junior Allison Kagawa (Mililani, HI) and dribbled towards the center of the field before unleashing a shot from about 35 yards out that sailed into the upper right corner at the 87:48 mark.

The goal broke a 2-2 tie in a game that saw the two teams trade goals during the first half.

Freshman Mika Siegelman (Piedmont, CA) gave Brown a 1-0 lead at 18:45 when she drilled a free kick from 35 yards out into the wind and hit the upper-90 for her first career goal.

Just 2:35 later, Therese Smith's first of two goals tied the score at 1-1, as she beat freshman Amber Bledsoe (Withamsville, OH) with a close-range shot to the lower left corner.

Senior Gina Walker (Canyon Country, CA) put away a corner kick by freshman Maddie Wiener (Portland, OR) 5:36 later to give Brown a 2-1 lead, but Smith answered for the Minutewomen less than 15 minutes later to again tie the score, which is how it remained until Lesbirel's goal.

Lesbirel led Brown, which outshot UMass, 16-13, with four shots, while Siegelman had three for the Bears. Brown also held a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks, taking three in each half.

Bledsoe finished with two saves in the first half, before giving way to classmate MC Barrett (Ithaca, NY), who made three in the second half.

Having played seven straight non-conference games to open the year, Brown returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it travels to Hanover, NH to face Dartmouth in its 2010 Ivy opener. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.

Pictured: Marybeth Lesbirel '12. Photo by DSPics.net.