By Tre Shuttlesworth, Staff Writer
A 70th minute Scranton goal from sophomore forward Corinne McDonald secured their 13th win of the season and a 1–0 victory over Susquehanna on Saturday, Oct. 20 in Selinsgrove.
The River Hawks (11–3–2) faced a tall task going into Saturday’s match as Scranton came into the match undefeated and first in the conference (13–0–2).
The match up was also Senior Day for the River Hawks where eight seniors were honored before the game: forwards Kate Cantrell, Emily Sullivan, Carly Smith, and defenders Emily Lefkowitz, Haley Timko, Kelly Tully and Emily Steinhilber. Junior forward Julia Hutsko was also honored before the game because of an early graduation date.
Sullivan was the only one of the eight that made the Landmark all-conference team from the previous season, where she earned second-team honors alongside a few others, but all players played key rolls in the River Hawks’ successful fall campaign thus far.
Chances would come few and far between in the first half, with Scranton firing off five shots to Susquehanna’s two.
The River Hawks came close with a 19th minute header from Sullivan, but it did not reach the back of the net. For the rest of the half possession would be split pretty evenly between the two squads.
The second half would see a more offensive activity as the defenses began to crack under increased fatigue and pressure. Susquehanna got six shots off to Scranton’s five, although Scranton did maintain control of the game for most of the second half.
The consistent pressure lead to the Royals claiming a 70th minute goal off of a free kick opportunity. McDonald headed the ball off of Hope Drewes’ kick to take the advantage.
Susquehanna would show spirit in the final twenty minutes, but were unable to draw even with Scranton. The River Hawks came closest in the half off of a last minute corner kick attempt that put nearly every player in the penalty box to try and tie the game.
Shots on target were difficult to come by in the half, as Scranton put up five and Susquehanna shot on goal four times. Freshman forward Anna Werner and Sullivan lead the way for the River Hawks with two shots apiece. Scranton’s Grace Elliott and Hope Drewes each shot twice, with McDonald scoring the game’s only goal.
Corner kick chances also came at a premium. Scranton had five opportunities from the corner flags, while the River Hawks only had two. Both came in the second half of play.
Both goalkeepers would make four saves in the match, with Scranton’s Colleen Barry able to score a clean sheet. The 70th minute goal prohibited sophomore goalkeeper Madison Welliver from earning her 11th shutout for the River Hawks.
Saturday’s match was relatively clean despite the high intensity, with no cards given out. Scranton committed six fouls, while Susquehanna had eight.
The Susquehanna regular season wraps this weekend as the River Hawks make the trip to Madison, New Jersey to take on Drew (6–7–3) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Drew comes into Saturday’s match on a two-game losing streak at the hands of Juniata and FDU-Florham.
The Rangers are also winless in Landmark Conference play with an 0–4–2, but do sport a 4–2–2 record on their home turf.
On top of the two-game losing streak, the Rangers have also lost five of their past seven games, with the other two games being a 2–1 win over Rutgers-Newark in double overtime and a 2–2 tie against Landmark Conference opponent Moravian.
