TSC Maryland Pride opens season with a 3-3 draw vs Lancaster

After missing the playoffs by just one point in 2009, the TSC Maryland Pride opened the season Saturday with hopes of making the changes necessary to vault them into the postseason.

However, there were some trends from last season that team was happy to see unchanged. Specifially, the play of Goalkeeper Jocelyn Papciak.

Papciak made 15 saves Saturday as the Pride played the Lancaster Inferno to a 3-3 draw.

The rising junior out of Towson University picked up right where she left off last season making two sprawling saves within the first five minutes of the match.

In the 13^th minute, the Pride was awarded a free kick just outside the inferno box, and midfielder Danielle Malagari wasted no time giving the Pride the lead, bending a ball around the four-man wall and dipping it just under the crossbar.

Papciak kept the Pride afloat again in the 30^th minute stopping Lancaster forward Christa Matlack on a breakaway, then parrying aside a rebound attempt just a few seconds later.

Papciak finished the first half with 10 saves.

TSC came back for more eight minutes into the second half when newcomer Steph Eyler found midfielder Karyn Farrar at the corner of the 18. Farrar ripped a shot to the upper near-post that Inferno keeper Joy Shaiebly never had a chance at reaching.

Pride forward Diana Barerra made it 3-0 in the 70^th minute, when she beat Shaiebly on a breakaway.

However, two minutes later the Inferno\'s speed and relentless attack would break Papciak and the TSC back line.

Lancaster scored three goals in the span of seven minutes. Goals came from Kirsten White, Teresa Rynier, and Jocelyn Weidner. Rynier assisted on both White and Weidner\'s goals.

Then, in stoppage time, Matlack found herself in alone on a breakaway with a chance to win it for the visitors. Like she had been so many times already, Papciak was equal to the task, pulling the ball off of Matlack\'s feet to salvage the draw.