The fifth-ranked Bloomsburg University women's soccer team will make its first road trip of the young 2019 campaign as it heads to Goldey-Beacom in what is the final non-conference game of the season for the Huskies. Bloomsburg is 1-0 on the year after a season-opening 3-0 victory over visiting Edinboro on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Lightning played to a 0-0 double overtime tie against Saint Anselm - also on Thursday.
NEW LOOK
With the addition of Shepherd to the PSAC, the sport of women's soccer will be split into an Eastern and Western Division for the first time since 2009. Both divisions will consist of nine teams while the top four teams of each division will earn a spot in the PSAC postseason.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The two teams met on the pitch for the first time last season and the Huskies came away with a 1-0 home victory against the Lightning on October 17.
Natalie Holmes (Laurel, Md./Archbishop Spalding) scored on a penalty kick in the 71st minute for the match's only goal while
Olivia Schantz (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) made her first collegiate start and turned aside five shots for the shutout.
PRESEASON POLLS
The Huskies captured eight first-place votes in the east to claim the top spot in the division according to the league's head coaches. Kutztown and West Chester were picked second and third, respectively, while East Stroudsburg was given the other first-place nod and was picked fourth. Millersville rounded out the top five with Lock Haven, Shippensburg, Shepherd, and Mansfield finishing off the division. Out west, Slippery Rock had six first-place votes and was picked to win the division. Gannon had the other three first-place votes and was picked second.
Nationally, the Huskies finished the 2018 campaign ranked fifth in the country according to the final United Soccer Coaches Division II poll and carry that exact ranking into the 2019 season. The University of Bridgeport, which ended Bloomsburg's season in the Elite Eight on November 18 at Steph Pettit Stadium, went on to win the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship but is ranked second according to the preseason poll. Grand Valley State, last year's national runners-up, claimed the top spot in the rankings with California-San Diego and Columbus State occupying spots three and four, respectively.
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
The Huskies picked up right where they left off last season as they began the 2019 season with a 3-0 home shutout of Edinboro University on Thursday afternoon. Sophomore
Nicole Varano (Mt. Carmel, Pa./Mt. Carmel) recorded the first multiple-goal game of her collegiate career as she broke a scoreless tie with a pair of goals less than two minutes apart early in the second half. She had two goals all of last season including Bloomsburg's lone goal in the Elite Eight loss to Bridgeport. Junior
Maggie McDonald (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) scored the other Bloomsburg marker in the victory. Senior
Megan Callan (Eldersburg, Md./Century), junior
Lauren Hoelke (Blackwood, N.J./Highland Regional), and sophomore
Kate Schlotter (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) had assists for the Huskies while redshirt junior
Jenna Hawkins (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood) stopped four shots to preserve the shutout. The Huskies held a 17-6 shot advantage over the Fighting Scots including an 11-4 margin in the second half. Bloomsburg is ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches Division II preseason poll after finishing 17-3-3 last season.
SCOUTING GOLDEY-BEACOM
The Lightning opened the 2019 campaign with a 0-0 double-overtime tie against Saint Anselm, at home, on Thursday afternoon. Goldey-Beacom was outshot in the match, 11-5, but goalkeeper Noel Talbot was not credited with a save as all 11 shots by Saint Anselm were wide of the target. Last season, Goldey-Beacom went 15-5 overall including an 11-1 mark in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). However, the Lightning dropped a 2-1 decision in the CACC Semifinals to Holy Family which ended their season. Goldey-Beacom enjoyed a remarkable campaign in 2018 as it broke the school record for most wins (15), most conference victories (11), most home wins (9), and most goals scored (63).
UP NEXT
Bloomsburg will return home on Wednesday night, September 11, against East Stroudsburg in a rematch of last year's PSAC Championship game. Kickoff from Steph Pettit Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
