The Tompkins Cortland Community College women's soccer team pushed the #9-ranked team in the nation to the limit Tuesday, eventually losing to Genesee Community College by a score of 1-0. The loss leaves the Panthers with a record of 2-4 while Genesee is now 7-2.
The game was even for most of the half. Genesee enjoyed an advantage in shots, but didn't put one in the net until the 38th minute of play, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead they would take into the halftime.
The Panthers came out strong to start the second half. Shannon DeRosa (Poughquag/Arlington H.S.) went on the offensive right away, just missing on a shot that found the side net in the first minute of the second half. In the fifth minute of the half, Cristina Torres (Ellenville/Ellenville H.S.) fed DeRosa from inside the box, but her attempt at tying the score floated over the crossbar.
Later in the second half, the Cougars had a chance to add to the lead, but Panthers goalkeeper Kerrin O'Shaughnessy (Worcester/Worcester H.S.) came up big. First, the sophomore made a save on a penalty kick with 31 minutes left in the game, and then, with about 15 minutes left, she made two diving stops, keeping a shot out of the net and then bouncing back to her feet to reject the put-back attempt.
While O'Shaughnessy and the defense were keeping it a one-goal game, the Panthers tried to score the equalizer. With Brianna Allen (Marion/Marion H.S.) and Paris Good (Syracuse/Ithaca H.S.) pushing the ball forward, Elise Clavel (Ithaca/Lehman Alternative School) had a great chance with 8:30 left, but the Genesee keeper made a diving stop of her blast heading for the lower corner. The Panthers threatened a few more times over the final minutes, but couldn't dent the Cougars net.
O'Shaughnessy finished the game with eight saves.
The Panthers are back on the road Saturday, playing at Jamestown Community College.