BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - It took less than 10 seconds for No. 25 Bloomsburg women's soccer to secure and hold on to a 2-0 victory over Lock Haven at Steph Pettit Stadium Wednesday evening.  

The Huskies (6-1-2, 3-1-2 PSAC East) eventually broke through a long period of possession for the Bald Eagles (2-5-1, 0-5-1 PSAC East) to net the first goal of the evening with a cross from Anika Krasnai (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) to Emma Wilkinson (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) at the opposite post for Wilkinson's first career goal. Seconds later, Olivia Thompson (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) intercepted a lazy pass along the backline as part of a darting effort on the press to force a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and make it 2-0 a mere 10 seconds later.

How It Happened:
For the first five minutes of the match, the Bald Eagles seemed confident and content with maintaining a majority of possession. Lock Haven demonstrated early composure on the ball as both teams adjusted to the early developments of the match. Once Bloomsburg was able to establish a presence in the attacking half, the proverbial switch flipped. A quick throw-in saw play start on the left side of the field with Sydney Donovan (Middletown, Del./Appoquinimink) and cycle centrally to Madelyn Blake (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia). Blake took her time and stepped into the space to connect with Krasnai along the right wing. At the earliest signs of an opening, Krasnai dashed down the flank to beat her defender, waiting for the opportunity to switch the play across the face of the goal to an open Wilkinson for a one-time finish into the top netting and the lead.

Neither side had much time to rest before Thompson doubled the home advantage. Lock Haven sought to play out from the back, with the initial play from the kickoff going to a central defender. The Bald Eagle defender misjudged the amount of time and space made available by Thompson on the press, allowing the junior to intercept the pass. With defenders chasing and goalkeeper Megan Miller rushing off her line, Thompson got the ball onto her left foot to squeeze her shot over Miller and inside the left post to make it 2-0. 

The Huskies' pursuit of a third goal continued down the right wing, with passes from Krasnai and Laci Bell (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) creating enough chaos in the box for non-threatening opportunities by Thompson and Donovan. The middling moments of the first half primarily saw the teams jostling for possession in search of goal-scoring threats. Lock Haven's lone shot on target in the opening 45 minutes came on a dying shot from Leana Cuzzocrea that sputtered into the hands of Bloomsburg goalkeeper Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley). A solo effort from Aleigha Rieppel off a corner saw the defender cut inside from the right for an attempt at goal that sailed outside the left post. The final chance at a goal in the half for the Huskies came from a trio of first-year contributors, as Bria Savage (Harpers Ferry, W. Va./Jefferson), Viktorya Luckenbach (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Pine Grove Area), and Katie Reynolds (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) nearly connected for a tremendous interlinked goal after dispossessing the Bald Eagles on their side of the field.

Bloomsburg continued its pursuit of expanding its lead with several chances inside the first 20 minutes of the second half. Donovan and Thompson again had sniffs at goal. Donovan hit the side netting after finding space following a throw-in into the box, and Thompson hit the woodwork on a half-volley attempt with no fellow Husky in position for the rebound. Bloomsburg's attempts later in the half extended to testing the reach of Miller, as Donovan, Blake, and Anna Dalesandro (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) took long-range efforts to force Lock Haven into action. 

The Huskies' best chances for goals in the second half came in the final 13 minutes, with several near misses across the board. Haley Bull (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) had a clear path to the goal with her left foot after her defender tumbled, with the attacker's shot sailing above the crossbar. The final chance of the night came with Kennedie Huber (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) dribbling the ball from her team's own corner past midfield. Huber managed to split the Bald Eagles' defense and find Krasnai, who took an initial heavy touch to beat the goalie. Krasnai waited to settle the ball onto her right foot, giving a Lock Haven defender enough time to get in position and clear the ball off the line to keep the game at a final score of 2-0.

Numbers of Note:
4 & 2 - The Bloomsburg defense put in a tremendous shift for most of Wednesday evening, providing Merklin with a relatively comfortable start. The Huskies held Lock Haven to just four total shots and two shots on goal, tying the fewest in both categories for the Bald Eagles this season.

5 - A quintet of freshmen have stepped into contributing roles for the Huskies through the first half of the regular season. Cassi Snyder (Hegins, Pa./Tri-Valley) became the latest among a promising group, with the defender joining Reynolds as one of two first-years to get a starting nod. Savage has seen an increased role over the past several matches for Bloomsburg. The three are joined by Luckenbach and Bull, with the pair among the top four for the Huskies in points this season.

On the Horizon:
Bloomsburg women's soccer is on the road to Kutztown on Saturday, October 4, for a 1:00 p.m. contest to signal the halfway point of the PSAC slate.