Photos By Michael Lipscomb
By Marquis Frias, Assistant Sports Editor
The women’s soccer team dominated visiting Notre Dame (Md.) on Wednesday night at Sassafras Field, earning a 4-0 shutout win over the Gators in non-conference action.
It is the first time since 2023 that the River Hawks have won back-to-back games in shutout fashion.
The River Hawks (2-3) had complete control from start to finish, totaling 47 shots to Notre Dame’s zero.
In the first half, the River Hawks dominated the possession, seemingly getting a chance at goal on every attack. It took Susquehanna only five shot attempts to find the back of the net after sophomore forward Ava Billmeyer scored off a corner kick.
With Susquehanna still dominating defensively to give opportunities for their attack, the next goal would come at the 34-minute mark, when an own goal was scored by the Gators (0-3), giving SU a 2-0 lead at halftime.
The second half was more of the same, as Susquehanna seemingly got a chance at goal with every possession. In the 49th minute, the River Hawks would strike again when Billmeyer delivered a beautiful pass to senior forward Sydney Williams for a goal.
The scoring was left at a standstill at 3-0 until sophomore midfielder Olivia Baczor put the finishing touches on the match, scoring her first collegiate goal in the 85th minute.
Notre Dame’s goalie Leah Haspberry recorded 23 saves on the loss. Put into context, Notre Dame entered the match on Wednesday with 21 saves as a team.
“Their keeper played an outrageously great game,” SU coach Nick Hoover said. “I give them all the credit… despite some tough defense and some really good goalkeeping, we found a way to put four on the board.”
Next for the River Hawks is a match against DeSales at 7 p.m. on Friday at Sassafras Field.
“They’re going to be hungry to come in here and beat us, and we have to figure out a way to match that energy on a quick turnaround… it’s going to be tough, but I think it’s something we can do for sure.”
