Photo by Abby MacMillan
By Anthony Heller
SELINSGROVE, Pa., November 1
Susquehanna Women’s Soccer suffered a 1-0 defeat in extra time at the hands of Drew on Wednesday night. In a game that had opportunities and controversies at both ends of the pitch, the third-seeded Rangers scored deep into extra time to advance to the final, where they will face Scranton on Saturday.
The River Hawks had many of the early opportunities, with several chances from corners coming and going. Gillian Maack headed wide before Marley Clendenin’s header somehow did not find the net as it was cleared off the line.
Clendenin had a second opportunity to break the deadlock, and the graduate defender headed in. But the goal was chalked off for a foul and the referee determined that she had fouled her marker en route to heading in.
The Rangers could not manage to trouble first-year goalkeeper Paisley Tornatore in the first half with only two shots. Neither of the shots were on target as the sides went into half-time level.
The River Hawks still threatened to break through a Drew defense that had been put through much danger in the opening half. Emily Wertz came close again in the second half, but she was denied by Amina Cirkiel in the Drew goal.
Casey Nickerson came on in the second half and made the Drew defense go to work again, with tricky footwork in the final third that nearly got her a breakthrough as her shot was blocked.
The game reached its normal-time boiling point on 85 minutes when the referee pointed to the penalty spot after a foul by Ellie Betheil in the penalty area. Seconds later, Gabby Gilgorri stepped up for the Rangers, and facing Tornatore, she put her spot-kick wide. Tornatore dove to her left-hand side, although she ended up without a save to make. Two late Drew corners came and went, but the River Hawks kept the Rangers’ increased energy at bay as the game went to extra time.
The first period of extra time saw two chances repelled by Tornatore, who denied Alexa Krause and Rebecca Racine during the first ten-minute period. However, the biggest chance went the way of the River Hawks. Wertz took space on the left wing and cut inside putting a cross in towards Delaney Morton, who came close to breaking the deadlock but saw her shot miss just inches wide.
The breakthrough came on a counter-attack for the Rangers. A Susquehanna corner was cleared, and the River Hawks looked to reset back to midfield and launch another attack. Krause, Landmark’s highest scorer, pounced on a loose ball in the center-circle and had a free run at Tornatore. With Mya Keim and Chloe Michaels only just behind her in a desperate attempt to recover, Krause rounded Tornatore and slotted away the only goal of the game on 105 minutes.
Marley Clendenin went up front as the River Hawks gave it everything they had to get back on terms. Unfortunately, it amounted to nothing as Drew advanced after 110 minutes of back-and-forth soccer.
Nick Hoover said after the game that every one of his players should be tremendously proud of the season that his side had. The River Hawks finished the season having won 14 games of 19, conceding just 11 goals on the way. Their 1,039-minute run without conceding is the longest stretch in program history, and their 12 clean sheets are second-best in program history.