By Pat Delp Staff writer
The River Hawks defeated Albright 4-1 on Sept. 4 at Sassafras Field in Selinsgrove.
For the first time since 2012, the Susquehanna women’s soccer team started off its season with two straight wins.
A large reason for the River Hawks’ success was the team’s strong defensive play. Albright was only able to manage three shots on goal for the entire contest. Senior captain and starting goalie Jordyn Slocum had two saves on the day.
Offensively, the River Hawks were just as impressive. The four goals are the most scored in a single game by the team since 2014.
The River Hawks fired an impressive total of 16 shots for the whole game, 11 of which were shots on goal.
“When we scored our first goal and we tied the game, we knew we were back in the game and really had to fight for that second goal. As soon as the second goal happened, we had the momentum and energy to finish strong,” senior defender Alex Edelman said.
Albright started the scoring off by putting in a shot from the corner of the box to make the score 1-0 in the first half.
The turning point of the game came with 14:36 to play in the first half when Albright sophomore defender Erica Bross received a red card, which forced her team to play the remainder of the match down one player.
Soon after, the River Hawks were able to not only tie the game, but they also net the go-ahead goal in a span of about two minutes.
The tying goal was scored by freshman midfielder Alee Pettit in the 35th minute.
The go-ahead goal followed just two minutes later by freshman midfielder Julia Hutsko in the 37th minute.
Junior defender Cassandra Coombs also made her presence felt by assisting with two goals while netting one of her own. The fourth goal was scored by Edelman.
The two freshman, Pettit and Hutsko, have a combined seven points in the team’s first two games. After starting their season off at home with two straight wins, the River Hawks now find themselves on the road for three straight games.
“I think it’s important that we stay calm and just play our game. We have to continue to work together and push ourselves. We’re on the road, but we can’t have any excuses or setbacks. We must go out there and pressure intensely, defend and score,” senior defender Shauna Barry said.
After defeating Albright, the River Hawks couldn’t keep up their winning streak when they visited Misericordia and fell 2-0 to the Cougars.
The Cougars’ Alex Gallagher netted both goals for Misericordia while the River Hawks couldn’t get any offense going.
Despite allowing two goals, Slocum still recorded eight saves on the day
Susquehanna will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 10 when they travel to Penn State-Harrisburg.
The Nittany Lions are 1-2 on the season so far, having lost to Hood and Moravian.
