Troy City capitalizes on opportunities, narrowly escapes Cap City in 3-2 win on the road

By Anthony Rizzo

Troy City goals

30’ – #8 Madi Bajis assist by #15 Keira Boskovich

39’ – #22 Izzy Baron assist by #8 Madi Bajis

48’ – #39 Syd Hewer assist by #20 McKenna Cloutston

Game Summary

On a rain-drizzled pitch and after a lengthy commute to the game destination, Troy City overcame adversity to secure their 2nd win of the season.

Cap City proved to be a quality opponent, especially early on. Each team had several scoring chances within the first 10 minutes of the game. It wasn’t until after the 20-minute mark that either team broke the seal when a train rambled on by right behind the pitch as Troy City took their first corner of the game. Cap City finally opened up the scoring minutes later to go up 1-0.

Without primary head coach John Arndt in attendance, acting head coach and assistant coach Patrick Reyes pointed out that “it took us a minute to get our bearings down and settle into the game. Can direct some of the blame to the 1 ½ hour drive in, traffic, and accidents on the road.”

It didn’t take long for Troy City to respond when #8 Madi Bajis put one past the Cap City keeper off an assist from #15 Keira Boskovich. Boskovich stole the ball in opposing territory to create an opportune scoring chance. All was square after 30 minutes of play.

Troy City capped off an up-for-grabs first half rather strongly. They carried momentum from the first goal and added to it before the half. #8 Madi Bajis crossed a ball in off the Cap City keeper, and #22 Izzy Baron was in the right spot to finish with a strike at the top of the key. 2-1 TC at halftime.

Pressure on the ball and scoring opportunities that preceded key turnovers was ultimately the difference in this game. Troy City adjusted well at halftime and looked like the superior side as the game progressed.

Reyes: “I thought we did a nice job of pressing up on the ball. We forced more turnovers, and that allowed us to control the pace of play in the second half. We capitalized on our opportunities.”

Another key steal in the opposing territory led to an early second-half goal. #20 McKenna Clouston’s persistence up top got rewarded after she sent a beautiful wide cross that was paid off by #39 Syd Hewer to go ahead 3-1 just minutes into the second half.

#54 Sarah Fromm made her presence felt throughout the second half, too. She had a shot on goal, and her teammates got fired up as she dribbled around Cap City defenders. You could verbally hear a teammate on the sideline shouting, “YOU’RE INSANE!” after Fromm made a one-touch spin move.

Cap City fought back after going down by two goals and put the pressure on Troy City late. They trailed 3-2 when a game-tying scoring chance went awry off the woodwork. Not once, but twice.

Reyes: “It’s not common to see the ball bounce off both posts without going in, but we were reluctant to catch that break.”

Fortunately, the result was a win instead of a draw thanks to those favorable bounces from the posts. For Troy City, this was a desirable result to carry momentum into a busy weekend competing on the pitch.

While Troy City became the first semi-pro women’s soccer team from Troy, Cap City was also a recent addition to the UWS. Each squad joined as Midwest expansion franchises in 2024.