Photo Courtesy of Robert Isacson
By Dakota Dobrovic-Fago, Staff Writer
After the long, grueling pause from play due to the pandemic, the Susquehanna women’s soccer team took the field for its first of three games this season to face the Cardinals of Catholic University at home. The game ended 0-0 after two overtime periods on March 13.
In the first half of the game, the River Hawks started with control of the game. Junior striker Anna Werner and sophomore winger Emily Wertz posed as the River Hawks’ biggest threats and sparked some life into the attack. But as the half progressed, the River Hawks were doing most of the defending and did not have many chances to find the back of the net.
The second half saw a more defensively organized River Hawks squad. Junior center-back Marley Clendenin and the back-line found their groove which gave the rest of the team more momentum. The River Hawks would begin to find more of the possession by finding their players in more threatening positions in their offensive third. But as their offensive threat continued, the River Hawks would find themselves conceding a penalty committed by junior defender Erin Wilson. But it was to the River Hawks’ relief when the Cardinals could not convert the spot-kick to push themselves to a one goal lead.
The River Hawks would soon face déjà vu as they found themselves in overtime with the Cardinals once again. There was no chance of PK’s to settle the score if a winner did not hit the back of the net. Overtime and double overtime looked nothing less of a chess match. Both teams would defend in hopes of capitalizing on their opponent’s mistake leading them to the golden goal. But after two overtimes, nothing could be settled between the two and the game would end scoreless with senior goalkeeper Madi Welliver and junior goalkeeper Chloe Weiczkowski earning themselves a clean sheet.
“I thought overall we played well. Offensively there are definitely things that can be worked on. There was a little bit of a disconnect between the offense and defense at times when we won the ball. For the most part, we defended well but had a few breakdowns. Overall, it was a very tough but good game, and it was so nice to finally be competing again,” senior forward Molly Schelle said.
With two games still ahead for the River Hawks, they find themselves in positive shape in which they can pull the positives from a hard-fought game but also pull the negatives out and work on them.
“[F]or not playing in a year, everyone put in a high effort and everything they had. I believe Catholic has been better in past years, more aggressive and faster playing but they were also a new team filled with a lot of freshmen. They are still trying to figure out themselves as well. I think we were pretty evenly matched and if we had more time to practice we probably would have been more comfortable with each other and maybe even won. For what the game was, it was a very good start,” Clendenin said.
Games will be played with masks to abide by the university’s safety protocols and to prevent the spread of ensure that there would be no spreading of COVID-19.
“Honestly, you forget you are even wearing it. Obviously, it was a hot day out and that definitely made it sweaty but other than the occasional pulldown for a fresh breath of air or to communicate with the team, they didn’t bother me. It’s hard to get your voice heard when it’s muffled by the mask, but soccer wise it doesn’t have any effect,” Clendenin said.
The women’s soccer team will be back in action on Saturday,March 20 at 12:45 p.m. as they face off against Elizabethtown at home.
“Hopefully the next two games bring dubs! I’m hoping this past game got the rust off and we play like we know we can this coming Saturday,” Schelle said.
