AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's soccer played their final regular season home match of the 2024 season Wednesday evening, falling 2-0 to the Bobcats of St. Thomas University. The meeting was the second of the season between The Sun Conference's two Catholic school programs, with the Gyrenes and Bobcats playing to a 1-1 draw in September in Miami Gardens. The September game was the conference match between the schools, with Wednesday's game a non-conference affair.
St. Thomas took the early lead on the Gyrenes, as Gabrielle Cimino scored for the Bobcats in the 26th minute. The game remained 1-0 for the remainder of the half, with Ave Maria's best chance to score coming in the 16th minute on back-to-back AMU shots on goal. St. Thomas then added an insurance goal in the 60th minute, as Cimino scored again from long range to give STU a 2-0 lead.
Wednesday's match was called with just over 12 minutes to play, as a power outage that had previously stopped play for 15 minutes or so returned, knocking out the lights to Gyrene Field. The power outage came with a major rainstorm that rolled into Southwest Florida. With the game a non-conference affair that had passed the 70-minute mark, the schools agreed to the early conclusion.
Rachel Dalton accounted for much of Ave Maria's attack Wednesday night, as the senior fired five total shots and three shots on goal in what may be her final game at Gyrene Field. Underclassmen accounted for the rest of AMU's shots, as sophomore Cate Cox and freshmen Claire Wrobleski and Ava Conforti all attempted one shot. Emma Schweitzer did what she could to keep the Gyrenes competitive against the Bobcats, ending the shortened game with four saves.
The Gyrenes did receive some good news on Wednesday, as a Southeastern draw with Webber ensured that Ace Maria will finish in the top six in The Sun Conference standings and earn a postseason berth. The Gyrenes can pick up a home game in the first round of The Sun Conference Tournament, scheduled for November 7, should Ave Maria defeat Webber on Saturday and Southeastern and Florida Memorial draw.
