By Maddy Lanning, Staff Writer
With the Landmark Conference Championship just around the corner, Susquehanna’s women’s soccer team had just one more opponent to face. This was the third year in a row that the River Hawks faced Catholic in the semifinals and this year the game would end in a scoreless tie on Nov. 6 in Selinsgrove, Pa.
Both goalies put up a hard fight against the combined seven shots taken by the teams during the first half.
Junior goalie Madi Welliver and Cardinal goalie Nina Fernandez each were able to keep the opposing team off the board for the duration of the half.
When the second half began, the River Hawks had possession of the ball and had a shot advantage over the Cardinals, but it was to no avail.
The Cardinals attempted one shot in the second half but came up empty handed. This left the game tied at 0-0 and headed into overtime where the River Hawks shot once and missed.
Shortly after, a penalty shootout between teams to determine a winner was held. Sophomore forward Anna Werner nailed her shot and was followed up by a missed shot by Cardinal Reagan Sharkey.
Junior defender Olivia Parke then converted on her attempt to give Susquehanna a 2-0 lead in penalty kicks, but Catholic then tied it up. In the end, sophomore defender Marley Clendenin scored before Welliver made a crucial save to give the River Hawks the victory.
Susquehanna then moved onto the conference championship game where they faced third seed Scranton on Nov. 9 on Sassafras Field in Selinsgrove, Pa.
The River Hawks had faced this team once before in the season where they won by a small margin of 1-0. Unfortunately, this would not be the same outcome for the team this time around.
During their home game against Scranton, the River Hawks gave everything they had but ultimately fell 3-0. All goals scored were held to the second half of the game and scored by three different members of the Royals team.
This matchup is the fourth time in a row the two schools have met up in conference playoffs, with the River Hawks falling to the Royals three times throughout their meetings. Scranton obtained the conference’s bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship with the win.
The win for the Royals was not easy, as each goal was scored in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Scranton’s Grace Elliot scored and shortly after, Rebecca Russo added another off a penalty kick.
The final goal was scored by Stephanie Lowery who shot one past Welliver for the Royals’ third score of the game. With this large of a cushion on their side, Scranton went on to defeat the River Hawks 3-0.
For the duration of the season, this was only the fourth time the River Hawks were shut out. This loss was the only home loss the team suffered this season.
Finishing out conference play at 14-4-2, head coach Nick Hoover, though disappointed with the loss is extremely proud of what they accomplished this season.
“I’m very proud of what this team was able to accomplish this season,” Hoover said. “We absolutely had the goal of winning the conference championship game, of which we fell short, and that was very disappointing.”
“They did all that myself and the assistant coaches asked of them, and they should be proud of what they accomplished,” Hoover continued.
