Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 This weekend the Tigers made their way to Maryland to the Dragon Invitational on Friday, September 13th.  To begin the weekend, the FIT Tigers played Anne Arundel CC Riverhawks at 11:00am.  The Tigers began the first half with poise and patience.  Captain, Domenica Romo lead the defensive line with confidence, denying the Riverhawks from a few scoring opportunities.  Aubrey Bethon and Morgan Smith did an excellent job connecting with the outside midfielders to travel up the field.  The Tigers sent ball after ball through the Riverhawks defensive line breaking them down as the minutes ticked. Captain Gabrielle L'Insalata and Haley Tarazona showed record speeds bombing past the defense through the first half.  Despite having a double digit shot count, the Tigers ended the first half scoreless.

With fresh legs and pumped up players, the Tigers came out into the second half ready to put the ball in the net. Twenty-eight minutes into the second half after a multitude of opportunities, Gabrielle L'Insalata proved her All American title, utilizing her excellent footwork, speed, and strike to find the back of the net making the score 1-0.  While this was exciting for the Tigers, a mere three minutes later, they were caught off guard and the Riverhawks tied the game.  After numerous attempts, the Tigers fell to the Riverhawks with a final score of 2-1. It was an unfortunate game for all the hard work the Tigers put in.

The following day the Tigers played Howard CC Dragons at 1:30pm.  This was the second consecutive game that the Tigers couldn't play starter, Sarah Iannella who is currently recovering from an injury. Fortunately, Romo and Mary-Addison Davis had to again hold a really solid defensive line.  The Dragons came out as aggressive as always, causing tensions to be high on both the field and the bench.  The temperature was the highest the Tigers had played in all season. In addition, the Tigers took numerous fouls during the game. Thankfully, the Tigers had Gianna Nepola in net keeping the score at just 3-0.

With the Tigers knowing what to expect for the second half, they refined their play to be smarter, avoiding over exhaustion in such high temperatures and afternoon sun.  With the Dragons able to constantly substitute players from their long list of rostered players, they ultimately were able to have fresh legs on the field through the last 45 minutes.  Even with odds against the fearless Tigers, they never gave up, and we're able to connect to find the net.  Gabrielle D'Elia assisted Haley Tarazona to score a birthday goal!  While the score doesn't reflect the level of the play of the Tigers, the coaches were very proud of their players for standing their ground, and fighting through to the last second of the game.

The coaches are excited to take on Suffolk CCC this upcoming weekend on Saturday, September 21st at 1:30pm.  They will take this week to go over all opportunities to better prepare the Tigers for what's to come.