By Tre Shuttlesworth, Staff Writer
The women’s soccer team had a busy weekend as they played a match apiece on Sept. 7-8 in Oneonta’s Mayor’s Cup tournament, coming away from the weekend with a 1-1 record.
The River Hawks opened the weekend with a 3-0 victory over Hartwick College for a second early season shutout, followed by an action-packed 4-2 loss to SUNY Oneonta. Susquehanna was also able to walk away with All-Tournament Team Honors for freshman forward Emily Wertz, sophomore forward Samantha Chillis and senior midfielder Katie Beluch.
Susquehanna’s match-up against Hartwick got off to a tame start, but the River Hawks were able to score three times by the end of 90 minutes for a 3-0 shutout. Chillis, junior forward Kate Ross, and senior forward Hayley Steinmetz each scored a goal in the match, while junior goalkeeper Madi Welliver remained strong in the net with five saves.
The first half saw an even split of offensive and defensive strength for both sides. Each side managed five shots, with Susquehanna putting all five shots on net in the first 20 minutes. Both Hartwick and Susquehanna made two saves and the River Hawks drew eight corner kicks.
The second half finally saw a breakthrough in the 53rd minute as Chillis was able to deflect a cross in the direction of the goal, ending up in the back of the net. Wertz executed an efficient corner kick that Steinmetz was able to convert for a goal in the 63rd minute. Ross put the last tally on by following up on her blocked shot with a goal in the 78th minute.
The River Hawks took complete control of the second half, putting up 12 shots as opposed to Hartwick’s five. Both keepers had three saves while Susquehanna earned four corners and Hartwick earned none.
Sophomore Anna Werner had the game’s only yellow card in addition to four shots in the match.
Susquehanna’s final night caught the River Hawks off-guard early and they were unable to fully recover, losing the match in a 4-2 final against SUNY Oneonta.
Susquehanna went behind two goals in the first half. In the second half, goals from Anna Werner and Chillis kept Susquehanna competitive but unable to match Oneonta’s four goals.
Oneonta got off to an energetic start. Micaela Honsinger was able to convert a cross into the box from Abby Ousouljoglou, putting Oneonta on the board in the 11th minute. A foul in the penalty box in the 14th minute allowed for Christina Kornfield to convert the penalty for a 2-0 advantage in the first half.
Despite the one-sided score, Susquehanna put up nine shots to Oneonta’s seven in the half, forcing their goalkeeper Celeste Trevellin to make eight saves in the first half.
Oneonta opened the second half with a launched ball from outside the box to put up a 3-0 advantage. Werner then broke the clean sheet in the 80th minute, converting a penalty kick to finally put theRiver Hawks on the board. Oneonta answered with a goal in the 89th minute from Deanna Schlott assisted by Honsinger. Chillis wrapped up the match with a second Susquehanna goal for a final score of 4-2.
The River Hawks offense was even more lethal than the first half, posting 13 shots to Oneonta’s three in the half, forcing five saves on their defense. Susquehanna also held a 4-2 corner kick advantage in the half.
A strong offensive showing for the River Hawks was no match for the Oneonta defense. Despite 22 shots with 15 on target, the Oneonta defense only conceded two goals with 13 saves from Trevellini. Both teams struggled to earn corner kicks, with four for Susquehanna and three for Oneonta. The game had 13 fouls total and only two of those fouls resulted in converted penalty kicks.
Susquehanna’s sophomore goalkeeper Chloe Wieczkowski made two saves on the day but conceded four goals during the match.
Susquehanna will next play Wilkes at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18 at Sassafrass field in Selinsgrove.
