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Saint Leo suffers loss in school's first game

By WAYNE GRUMET

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 29, 2000

After being picked to finish last in the Sunshine State Conference by opposing coaches, the Saint Leo women's soccer team took the field Monday afternoon with plenty to prove.

The Lions' first-year squad of 14 players wanted to send a message in its first game against NAIA Thomas University from Georgia.

"I'm excited about showing people that we're not a big joke," said freshman goalkeeper and Ridgewood graduate Christina Calidonio. "I know we can play."

The Lions didn't win their first game Monday, but they did show a small but enthusiastic crowd that they could play.

Thomas University pulled away from a tired Saint Leo squad for a 5-2 win.

The Lions appeared nervous at the outset. Thomas' Emer McAuley rattled off three goals in a 10-minute span in the first half.

Saint Leo didn't back down from a 3-0 deficit, answering with two goals in the final 23 minutes of the first half.

The first goal in school history came courtesy of a Thomas defender in the 22nd minute.

Freshman Helen Brady lofted a nice cross pass to fellow freshman Angie DeAngelis. DeAngelis managed to boot a slow roller toward the right corner of the net. A Thomas defender accidentally booted the ball into the net as she tried to clear the ball away.

DeAngelis would get another chance to make history in the 42nd minute. Brady lofted a corner kick toward April Samson and DeAngelis. Each player got a piece of the ball as they booted the shot past Thomas keeper Alison Mulkey.

"I got credit for that one when it probably wasn't me that should have gotten credit," laughed DeAngelis. "I should have gotten credit for the (first goal) but it worked out OK."

Another first-half DeAngelis goal was disallowed in the 24th minute. DeAngelis beat Mulkey on a breakaway but the officials ruled that the Lions were offside.

The Lions emerged from halftime ready to continue their momentum. Thomas' McAuley, who sat out the first half's final 18 minutes, struck again quickly in the 47th minute with a breakaway goal.

"At halftime they had the expectation that they might come back and do something. Giving away an early goal kills any team," said Saint Leo coach Tony Paris. "We suffered because of the squad size and it made a difference. You could see that in the second half we started to die."

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