Photo by Marquis Frias, Sports Editor
By Thamoda Haputhanthri
The curtain drew on yet another impressive season for the River Hawks as they fell to Scranton in the Landmark Conference semifinals 2-0 Wednesday in Scranton, Pa.
Going into the game, Susquehanna overcame massive odds, sneaking into playoffs on the final day, then advancing after dramatically defeating #3 seed Moravian in a penalty shootout.
The two teams also entered with a bit of history, as just last year Scranton knocked out Susquehanna in the Conference Semifinals last year. The River Hawks have only beat the Royals 3 times in over 31 matchups, the last win being 2019.
The River Hawks would face an early onslaught from the Royals, who would pepper their goal with chance after chance.
Goalkeeper Katie Henchy, coming off a massive performance against Moravian, would keep Susquehanna in the tie, making save after save.
Scranton’s persistent offense would finally find the opener however, as sophomore Elise Nicholas would put the ball in the back of the net off the assist of senior Faith Schecter.
Nicholas’s goal would keep the Royals ahead until the break, as both teams would exit the field at 1-0.
Scranton would continue their dominant performance in the second half, keeping Susquehanna’s offense at bay, whilst keeping the defense on their toes.
Henchy would come up big, making two impressive saves in the 57th minute and the 60th minute to keep the tie at a one goal deficit.
Despite the River Hawks’ best efforts, sophomore Peyton DiLello would put the game out of reach with ten minutes to go.
The game would end 2-0 to Scranton, and for a second consecutive year, Susquehanna would exit the landmark tournament in Scranton.
The box score showed an impressive performance from Scranton, as the Royals totalled 18 shots to Susquehanna’s three.
Henchy forced seven saves, out of the nine shots on goal, an extremely valiant effort from the junior goalkeeper to close her dominant season.
As the 2026 season draws to a close, Susquehanna finished 10-6-4 overall and 3-3-3 in the conference.
They scored 28 goals, conceded 18 and managed 1.4 goals per game on the season. Their incessant attacking football showed up in the stats, managing 306 shots, 15.3 shots per game.
Amelia Kopp finished top scorer with seven goals, closely followed by Ava Billmeyer with six.
For Billmeyer, it was a season to remember, finishing as the top assister of the team with six, and had the most goal contributions with 12.
Seniors, Olivia St. Amand and Maisie Baker played incredibly important roles all season, playing 18 games and 20 games respectively.
Despite the disappointment that may loom over what could have been a title winning season, the River Hawks ought to be proud of the resiliency and hard work that they showcased all season.