When does an away win feel a little homey? When the victory comes against Canadian opposition at a field you’ve used as home for the playoffs.
Head coach Nikki Bartholomew’s FC Buffalo women’s team beat Canadian side FC Berlin 2-0 in an away match to start the UWS season at Buffalo State College’s Coyer Field on Tuesday.
FC Berlin, a Kitchener-based club, uses mostly Canadian players but plays its home matches in Buffalo as part of UWS.
FC Buffalo started 10 returning players, handing a club debut to University at Buffalo star Payton Robertson. Making debuts off the bench were Gurjeena Jandu, Maddie Keister, Cashlin Copley, Hope Balling, and Abby Pearson. Jandu and Balling were on the inaugural roster that won the 2022 UWS East Division regular season crown, but Jandu was limited due to pandemic limitations at the Canadian border and Balling suffered a long-term injury.
All that said, it was a familiar face who spurred the win over Berlin, as club captain Carissima Cutrona set up Tatyjana Scalisi’s first-half goal and then scored one of her own in the second frame to give the match its final score line, a 2-0 well-aided by several Jessica Jones saves in a clean sheet effort.
FC Buffalo will host Erie Commodores at 7pm ET Saturday at Dobson Field on the campus of D’Youville University in the first women’s Erie County derby. Tickets are available here.
