Photos By Michael Lipscomb
By Thamoda Haputhanthri
The River Hawks soared over the Eagles with a 2-0 win, dealing Juniata their first conference loss since Oct. 14, 2023, at Sassafras Fields on Tuesday night.
Prior to the game, Juniata (7-3-5) was boasting an emphatic defensive record, conceding only four goals throughout the season so far. The Eagles also pre-mentioned two-year conference win streak set a bit of an intimidation factor for the River Hawks.
Susquehanna (5-7-2, 1-2-2 conf) was not fazed by their opposition in the early going however, as a looping header from Jack McCarthy caught Juniata goalkeeper Maxwell Mattioni in no man’s land, to deliver the opener within the first six minutes.
Susquehanna would keep the pressure on the visiting eagles, forcing turnovers and counters at every opportunity. Then in the seventeenth minute, Angelo Zografos would find the roof of the net to double the River Hawks’s lead 2-0.
From then on out, Susquehanna ensured the two-goal cushion with perfect defense, making for a frustrating night out for the Eagles attack. Tension and desperation turned into frustration as Juniata saw five yellow cards given out, even one to Head Coach Brendan Grady.
Coach Findlay exuded with confidence stating, “We finished the job tonight, we played strong defensively, and that’s what it takes to win in the conference.”
Susquehanna kept their third clean sheet of the season, despite being outshot 17-7 by Juniata, thanks to a brilliant display by first-year goalie Finn Kramer. “It’s huge to know that we can keep a clean sheet in a big game like this, especially when we were defending for most of it,” Kramer stated.
The River Hawks will look to ride the momentum into Senior Day in Selinsgrove where they will face Landmark Conference opponents Moravian on Oct. 18 at 1pm.
