Women’s soccer team defeats Manchester, 2-1

Sophomore Sam Spiteri (St. Clair Shores/Lake Shore) scored the game-winner with just under two minutes left, as the Olivet College women's soccer team defeated Manchester (Ind.) College, 2-1, this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex in Olivet.

Olivet got on the scoreboard in the 29th minute. Freshman Marcee Lettinga (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Central) dribbled up the right sideline from the defensive end of the field, and passed the ball to sophomore Lizzy Julian (Mattawan) at the top of the box. From there, Julian buried the shot into the bottom right corner of the goal.

The score remained 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, the Spartans tied the game at the 76:24 mark when they tallied a penalty kick goal. Spiteri scored the game-winning goal after receiving a touch pass by Julian.

The Comets finished the game with a 33-10 advantage in shots. Julian led the way with 14, including eight on-goal. Freshman Rebecca Gaarde (Parma/Western) and Spiteri took five and four shots, respectively. Junior Megan Colby (Sparta/Cedar Springs) collected four saves, including a diving stop with 22 minutes left in the contest.

Olivet will co-host a tournament with Alma College this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19-20. On Saturday, the Comets will play Anderson (Ind.) University, and on Sunday, they will play University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, with both games starting at noon. Alma will host Whitewater on Saturday, and Anderson on Sunday.