By Matt Guear, Contributing Writer
Photo Courtesy of Hannah Grove
Susquehanna’s women’s soccer team defeated visiting Muhlenberg on Saturday, Sept. 11 4-1 thanks to a high level of intense play.
Susquehanna started the game playing very aggressively and never wavered from this. Coach Nick Hoover said this was all part of the plan.
“More than anything we wanted to be aggressive right from the start and score some goals and we did that,” Hoover said.
Susquehanna’s first goal came when junior captain Emily Wertz delivered a corner kick into the 18-yard box and senior defender and captain Marley Clendenin finished the play by putting the ball in the back of the net, subsequently putting her team up 1-0. Susquehanna wasn’t done there.
With 19 minutes left in the half, senior forward Anna Werner intercepted a pass deep in Muhlenberg’s defensive third and passed it to senior forward Samantha Chillis who beat the Mules goalie Sara Pecorelli, making it 2-0.
Clendenin’s second goal of the game came when she shot over Pecorelli to score from about 30 yards out with 13 minutes left in the half, making it 3-0.
Pecorelli made a save on a break away with two minutes left in the half that could have very well made it 4-0, deflecting the shot off her left foot and out of harm’s way.
Susquehanna went into halftime with a 3-0 lead over Muhlenberg.
Susquehanna came out strong in the second half, as junior midfielder Gillian Maack scored from the 18-yard box after dribbling around two defenders only ten minutes into the second half, making it 4-0.
Muhlenberg’s Lexi Sipos would get one back for her team but that would conclude the scoring for the rest of the game.
For the final 30 minutes that remained, Susquehanna was able to use their depth to defend and outlast the Muhlenberg attack.
“The depth of our team helped us as well because when we went to the bench the level stayed high and we kept them chasing the game”, said Coach Hoover.
In the end, Susquehanna would prove to be too much for Muhlenberg and bested them 4-1.
Their next game is on Sept. 15 at Wilkes University.
