BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's soccer team came away with a 1-0 victory in its lone contest of the week against Mansfield Wednesday night at Steph Pettit Stadium.

Anika Krasnai (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) netted what proved to be the game-winning goal with a belted effort between the box and the halfway line. Krasnai stepped into a long-range effort with just under five minutes to play and perfectly placed the ball in the top-right corner of the goal to beat Mountaineers' goalkeeper, Alyssa Shuman.

Bloomsburg improves to 8-4-2 on the season and 6-4-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. Mansfield drops to 0-11-3 overall and is 0-11-1 in conference action.

How It Happened:

The Huskies started slow to begin Wednesday's contest before picking up the intensity to close out the first half. The first shot on target in the contest came from an uncontested long shot from the Mountaineers that got goalkeeper Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) her first of two saves on the night. The two sides were equal with two shots apiece through the opening 29 minutes of play.

Bloomsburg maintained its aggression going for goal, and the opportunities picked up in the 30th minute. Lindsey Bull (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) put her first of three efforts on net in the evening with a shot just inside the 18-yard box to force a save from Shuman. Bloomsburg continued pushing forward and applying pressure in the attacking third before the wonder strike from Krasnai. Krasnai received the ball and initially drove down the near sideline before cutting inside onto her right foot for a tremendous, game-deciding solo effort for the lead.

The Huskies rattled off three more shots to close the half in their effort to keep the foot on the gas. Bloomsburg's initial slow start eventually turned into a 9-2 shot advantage after one half of play with a 3-0 discrepancy in corners.

The Maroon & Gold continued to maintain the edge in possession, and with it came further chances on net. Bull put another two shots on target to test new goalkeeper Serenity Esterline in the second half. Kennedy Kilchrist (Southampton, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) and Marlee Potillo (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) each had near misses with shots that just went around the outside of the posts. 

As Bloomsburg generated several more opportunities in the final third, the biggest scare for the Huskies on the night came from a communication miscue in the back. An errant pass from the backline got behind Merklin and led to a chase to the ball in front of the Bloomsburg net. Bull won the footrace to the ball and managed to clear the ball to keep the Huskies out in front. 

The Huskies' control over the ball eventually led to their victory in the contest, able to close out much of the final 10 minutes in Mansfield's half. Bloomsburg finished the match with a 19-2 edge in shots and an 8-0 advantage with corner kicks. 

Numbers of Note: 

1 & 4 - With her first goal of the 2024 season, Krasnai has set a new career-high point total with four in her sophomore season.

7 - With a clean bill against Mansfield, Merklin has her seventh shutout of the 2024 campaign.

8-0 - Bloomsburg did well in limiting the opportunities the Mountaineers had in and around the box. The Huskies finished the evening with eight corner kicks to Mansfield's zero.

On the Horizon: 
The Huskies take the weekend off to prepare for the final two weeks of PSAC competition. Bloomsburg travels to take on Kutztown on Wednesday, October 30, for a 7:00 p.m. showdown with the Golden Bears.