GREAT FALLS, Mont. – When Lady Argo soccer met Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana over a month ago for a non-conference contest, the Battlin' Bears dominated UP in a deflating 6-1 defeat. While UP still came up short in the two teams' conference game, the 2-1 loss, which could have easily gone the other way, showed just how much better the Lady Argos are from when they started the season.
 
The close loss was even more encouraging when considering the Lady Argo's goalkeeper situation. In the team's game the day prior, UP's starting goalie Dakota Neumann, who had played every minute of every game in 2017, left with an injury in the second half. Neumann still wasn't ready to go by kickoff of the Rocky game and so UP had to put junior forward Malena Lennon in the net. While Lennon has been spending one practice a week training as a keeper, she is still certainly a field player by trade.
 
Early on, the Battlin' Bears did their best to test Lennon and with UP struggling to control the ball, it was a good thing the junior was up to the task. Lennon made 3 saves in the first 30 minutes of play to keep a clean sheet.
 
During that time, the Lady Argo attack managed just one shot, but it was a good look. A cross from the right wing found the head of junior forward Alejandra Guzman who got an uncontested chance but sent it wide right.  
 
After testing Lennon and failing in the first 35 minutes, the Battlin' Bears finally coaxed a non-goalkeeper mistake out of the junior. From 20 yards out, RMC's Lauryn Gamache took a crack at the ball and sent a hard, bouncing drive right to Lennon who was standing on the goal line. Lennon met the ball with both hands but couldn't control it, and the ball hit the ground and spun into the right corner of the net.
 
For the rest of the half, Rocky tried to get a second goal, but Lennon recovered well and made 2 more saves before the break.
 
UP got its first shot on goal in the 59th minute on a shot from sophomore forward Eme McLaughlin. That shot was saved, but the Lady Argos would tie the game soon after.
 
In the 60th minute, junior Sydney Knieriem took a corner kick that sailed low and hard towards the back post about six yards out. A crowd of players, both Bears and Argos, were there waiting, but it was senior forward Madison Quinn that made the first contact. She got her head on the ball and after hitting two Rocky defenders it found its way into the net.
 
Rocky regained control of the game after UP's equalizer and broke through again in the 81st minute off another shot from Gamache. This time her goal came off of a free kick from right outside the top left corner of the Lady Argo penalty box. Her shot was well placed and probably would have scored with or without an experienced keeper in the net.
 
Needing a goal in the final five minutes, UP Head Coach Brian Clarke moved one of the team's top players, junior Sarah Howell, from center back to forward and the move almost paid off.
 
UP got three great scoring chances in the final five minutes. The first chance started with Howell breaking loose down the left wing, beating a defender to the inside and then sending a beautiful cross into the box. Knieriem got her head on it with enough force to be dangerous, but it went right to the center of the net where RMC's keeper was waiting.
 
The second chance was the best and came about a foot away from evening the score. Once again, the play involved Knieriem and Howell, only this time in reverse order. The former sent a long ball 40 yards in the air right down the middle of the field. It was well weighted, flying over the Rocky defense but with enough touch that Howell reached the ball before Rocky's keeper could get there. As the keeper came forward, Howell tried to flick the bouncing ball over her into the open net, but it was about a foot short and the goalkeeper caught in in the air.
 
UP's final chance came from McLaughlin who beat a defender in the left corner and worked her way into the left side of the box. She got off a left footed shot that looked at first like it was headed right for the upper right corner of the net, but it never dipped and sailed high.
 
In the end, Lennon ended up with 7 saves in her first career start as a goalkeeper. She faced 16 total shots and 9 shots on goal along with 3 RMC corner kicks.
 
Next up for the 4-6 (3-3) Lady Argos will be a road contest against Carroll College on October 15 at 1:30 p.m.