By Tre Shuttlesworth, Staff Writer
A goal from senior midfielder Emily Sullivan and 11 saves from sophomore goalkeeper Madison Welliver would not be enough for victory as the Susquehanna women’s soccer team’s season came to an end against the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) after a 4–3 loss in penalty kicks.
A quick 1-1 start to the match turned into a defensive duel that went all the way to penalties, with Rochester advancing into the second round of NCAA playoffs.
Chaos in front of the Tigers’ net would lead to the open-ing goal scored by senior midfielder Emily Sullivan in the third minute. The lead would be short-lived however as RIT would draw even with a 22-yard shot from senior forward Emily Thiel on an assist from sophomore defender Piper Zimmerman just minutes later.
RIT would keep consistent pressure in the half, shooting nine times to the River Hawks’ two, which were both in the first three minutes.
The second half would be a true test on the Susquehanna defense. Despite 15 shots from a persistent RIT offense, six of which being saved by Welliver, the Tigers were unable to find the back of the net in the half. The River Hawks were able to get three shots off in the second half.
Without a decision in the first 90 minutes, play continued into overtime. RIT shot five times over the last 20 minutes but were still unable to score despite having 29 shots in total. Susquehanna were not able to get any shot attempts in overtime.
The game advanced into penalty shootouts, where the Ti-gers were able to advance to the second round of the tournament with a 4-3 win despite trailing 3-1 in the shootout to Susquehanna at one point.
The River Hawks struggled offensively in Saturday’s match, only getting off five shots, with four shot on target. Sullivan and freshman forward Anna Werner each had two shots, while senior forward Kate Cantrell also had one.
Thiel shot 11 times for the Ti-gers and led the way for a team with 29 shots on the day RIT goalkeeper Alyssa Sails made two saves on the day.
Susquehanna women’s soccer ends their 2018 season with much to be proud of. An overall record of 13-3-4 would be one of the best records of the Landmark Conference where they finished second in the regular season with a record of 5-1-1 and won the Landmark Conference final against Scranton in penalty kicks.
Five players earned All-Landmark Conference Honors, including Sullivan, Werner, Welliver, junior midfielder Katie Beluch and freshman defender Marley Clendenin.
