BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's soccer ended with a 0-0 tie in its home finale at Steph Pettit Stadium against Lock Haven Wednesday evening.

In a night where the Huskies outshot the Bald Eagles, 14-7, Bloomsburg could not keep its chances on target to threaten Lock Haven's defense. The visitors finished with a 4-2 edge in shots on goal.

Bloomsburg sits at 9-4-4 overall and 7-4-4 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division. Lock Haven moves to 2-11-4 on the season and 2-11-2 in conference play.

How It Happened:
Aubrey Hondros (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock South) generated many of the early chances for the Huskies, looking for opportunities to find the back of the net in the box. The senior sent her first attempt of the night over the crossbar before a second, long-range attempt was blocked from entering the box.

Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) made her first save of the evening, comfortable catching a shot outside the box from Lock Haven's Aleigha Rieppel. The Bald Eagles had the next chance for a goal in the 24th minute, with an initial shot block around the edge of the box before a weakly-hit dribbler rolled into Merklin's hands to end the attacking effort.

Emma Wilkinson (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) had her best opportunity of the night in the 31st minute with a pair of consecutive shots. The junior managed to create space cutting inside from the left wing to get in the box to take a swing, with the initial attempt being blocked. As the ball bounced back to the midfielder, Wilkinson could not settle the ball from her right-shifting position to put the shot on net. Averie Doughty (Souderton, Pa./Souderton Area) followed up those two shots with a pair of her own, looking to leverage a shot from long distance and a header that did not cause many problems for Lock Haven goalkeeper Megan Miller.

Bloomsburg closed the first half with a pair of corners, the best chance coming from an Alena Totten (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) header that drifted over the crossbar. After 45 minutes played, the Huskies held an 8-3 advantage in shots, but it was Merklin who was more active in defending her goal.

Bloomsburg generated positive attacking momentum off of the second-half whistle but still could not manage to find the back of the net. Anna Dalesandro (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) took a hard-hit effort that went out past the right goal post while Hondros took her third shot of the game to no avail. Kennedy Kilchrist (Southampton, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) and Doughty linked up with a cross but the ball ran too high on Doughty for the senior forward to find a shooting opportunity. 

As the second half went on, the rain picked up under the lights at Steph Pettit Stadium, playing into the ensuing chaos between the two sides. Erin Ranegan (Wilmington, Del./Conrad School of Science) took her lone shot of the night off of a corner, with her header going left of the woodwork. Off a later free kick, Makayla Lear (Orangeville, Pa./Benton Area) had a well struck ball into the box that securely floated in the hands of Miller. 

The best chance of the night for the Bald Eagles came in the 76th minute with Bryn Constanzer finding space at the near post, but her strike to break the deadlock was stopped by a well-timed diving effort from Merklin. Lock Haven put another chance on goal inside the 79th minute before a pair of block shots in the 85th minute ended the visitors scoring threats for the night. 

Searching for a goal, Brooke Foster (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) had the last opportunity of the night with a header at the back post that drifted to the right. The increased pressure and presence from the Huskies' in the Bald Eagles' half to close the contest was not enough to break the tie.

Number of Note: 
9 - With four stops to her credit, Merklin finished the night with her ninth shutout of the season. The junior is tied for the seventh most in a season with that mark.

6-1 - Bloomsburg remained active in the final third against Lock Haven, finishing the night with a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

On the Horizon: 
The Huskies end the regular season with a deciding road contest at 2:00 p.m. against Shippensburg on Saturday, November 9.