BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - No. 20 Bloomsburg women's survived an eventful final six minutes to earn a 2-1 victory over Millersville Saturday evening at Steph Pettit Stadium.

In what was a high-octane back-and-forth battle the last time these two teams met, Saturday began comparatively more reserved. After being locked at 0-0 for over 80 minutes, the Marauders (4-5-2, 3-4-2 PSAC East) squeaked through a thinned-out defense from Bloomsburg to go up 1-0 from the counterattack. Needing a response, the Huskies (8-2-2, 5-2-2) got it from Anika Krasnai (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), as the forward hit a ball high and hard enough to slip through the outstretched fingers of Millersville goalkeeper Sabrina Zimmerman to tie the match. Krasnai proved that lightning can indeed strike twice, as the junior delivered an eerily similar ball, once again getting over Zimmerman, as it found Emma Wilkinson (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) at the back post for a quick-touch finish and the game-winner.

As part of the team's Senior Day festivities, Bloomsburg women's soccer honored its senior class. The three recognized seniors include Alexa Arrigale (Blackwood, N.J./Highland Regional), Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley), and Emma Wilkinson (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West).

How It Happened:
Krasnai and the Huskies' efforts on the attacking front came inside the first 10 minutes, with the forward wreaking early havoc on the Marauders' outside backs. Bloomsburg's first attempt at a goal in the match came after Krasnai caught positioning on a defender following a few dribbles, with the pass finding Laci Bell (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) before the midfielder's shot ended up blocked by a Millersville defender.

The positive movement continued for the Huskies in their next threatening sequence with 10 minutes played. The deployed high press from Bloosmburg forced errant clearance passes from the Marauder backline, allowing the Huskies to move with numbers. Olivia Thompson (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) took an initial carry before playing Wilkinson at the far side. The forward cut inside and took an attempt that ricocheted off a defender. Recovering the ball, Wilkinson played a short pass to Anna Dalesandro (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser), with the midfielder taking her best effort to make an inward cut. The midfielder played a cross into the box to find Bell, as the touch set Thompson up for a shot that rang the post.

Millersville began settling into the flow of the match around 20 minutes in, paving the way for several chances for the Marauders. Looking to play direct, Millersville took its chances with a number of long-range shots. While the first sailed up and away, a knuckled shot from Isabel Coy proved difficult to judge off the foot, forcing Merklin to punch the ball over the bar. Coy tried her head at the goal this time, with her header ending up outside of the frame. 

The Huskies remained aggressive in challenging the Marauders' goalkeeper and defense, utilizing opportunities to maintain the attacking pressure. Brooke Coco (Blackwood, N.J./Paul VI) hit a volley directly from a corner that fell into the hands of Zimmerman before a later attempt from a short set-piece routine went wide of the post. Bell and Haley Bull (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) had their sights set on a goal from outside of the box, with neither attempt forcing the Millersville goalkeeper into a dramatic stop. The last flurry of offense in the half for Bloomsburg came from a pair of late corners, with the second seeing Bull nodding a pass to Huber at the back post, as the shot missed the mark.

The Huskies did not let up in the second half, as the home side continued as the aggressor after halftime. Bloomsburg had several close calls for the opening goal in quick succession. Thompson fired off the first shot of the half, wide right after getting a headed flick from a throw-in. Wilkinson collected a loose ball in the final third and drove towards goal to get off a well-struck, low-driven effort to the bottom corner that required a save. From the resulting corner, Lindsey Bull (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) put an effort toward the net that took a deflection off a defender, as Dalesandro finished the sequence with a soaring shot from the rebound. 

The Marauders began to stack some offensive possessions as the half progressed, leaning into their two primary scoring threats in Coy and Aubrey Strohecker. Krasnai nearly responded with what was a golden opportunity that emulated her goal-scoring effort in the prior meeting this season. The forward received a beautiful ball over the top from Beth Stephens (Lacey Township, Pa./Marine Academy of Technology) and raced by her defender. With just the goalie to beat, Krasnai tried to split the ball between Zimmerman's legs to no success, with the Marauders' shot stopper coming up with a pivotal stop. 

After the shots slowed for both sides, the game began to open up in the final stages. Against the run of play, Millersville found the first goal of the contest just inside 84 minutes of action. A heads-up read from Zimmerman had the goalie distribute the ball quickly to Caroline Wood in the midfield. With time and space, Wood delivered a perfect ball to a streaking Aubrey Strohecker. The Marauders' forward raced to the goal with the ball and stride, firing off an attempt across the face of goal with a defender on her shoulder to put her side up 1-0. 

Rather than getting flustered, the Huskies learned from earlier experiences from this season and remained on the attack. Bloomsburg did not have to wait long for a response, as the immediate attack from the kick-off rewarded the home team with a tie game. Merklin hit a long ball deep into Millersville's half, connecting with H. Bull for a flick to Krasnai. Again, in a one-on-one, Krasnai dribbled past her mark and, with the tiniest bit of space and a help defender bearing down, the junior's whipped ball powered past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

After a brief stoppage, the Huskies put the ball back into play from a throw and quickly switched the field. From Dalesandro to Bull, the ball returned to a favored place at the feet of Krasnai along the right flank. The forward once more beat a different mark, creating enough space to whip a cross over Zimmerman, with a favorable touch off the goalkeeper's glove, serving the ball to the senior Wilkinson on a silver platter for the game winner.

Number of Note: 
6:03 - Chaos ensued with the game on the line in Saturday's contest, with both teams desperate for a favorable result. All three goals in the match occurred during the final 6:03 and across just 2:02 of game time. 

24 | 6 - One of the biggest searches for Bloomsburg women's soccer between this season and last was in finding a spark in the final third. In 2024, the team scored 22 goals in 19 matches, scoring multiple goals on only five occasions. Through 12 games in 2025, the Huskies surpassed last season's total, having scored 24 thus far, and have registered six contests with multiple goals scored.

On the Horizon:
Bloomsburg women's soccer gets a much-deserved break to recuperate before jumping back into PSAC action on Wednesday, October 22, at 7:00 p.m. against East Stroudsburg.