BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - No. 18 Bloomsburg women's soccer hung on for a 2-1 victory at Steph Pettit Stadium over East Stroudsburg on Wednesday evening.

The Huskies (9-2-2, 6-2-2 PSAC East) dictated the flow of the first half on Wednesday against the Warriors (5-6-3, 3-6-3 PSAC East), paying dividends with an early goal before the team built a cushion with a late strike to double the advantage near the end of the second half. An awkward, late goal from East Stroudsburg made things interesting, but it was not enough to keep their playoff hopes alive. With the win on Wednesday, Bloomsburg secured a spot in the PSAC Tournament.

Bloomsburg was on point from distance in the match, with Sydney Donovan (Middletown, Del./Appoquinimink) netting the opener with a long-range effort along the 18-yard box inside 12 minutes played. Daryn Savage (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood) scored her second career free kick goal Wednesday evening with her strike with less than five minutes before halftime. 

How It Happened:
The Huskies were aggressive from the jump in search of a crucial first goal to derail the Warriors' game plan. Bloomsburg managed to draw two early corners, but a sailing shot from Olivia Thompson (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) was all the team could muster through the first 10 minutes. 

Goalkeeper Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) was called on to make the first save of the match just past the 10-minute mark. Mia Chapman attacked the Huskies down the right wing and created separation after beating a defender with a dribble. The shot had limited power, making it an easy scoop for Merklin.

Bloomsburg responded to the shot on goal with one of its own, this chance finding the back of East Stroudsburg's net. After play cycled back to Merklin, the Huskies worked the ball up the field and forced the Warriors to kick the ball out of play for a throw-in. Lindsey Bull (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) got on the throw quickly, finding Thompson, who broke through an attempted embrace from a mark. On her first touch, the forward played Donovan through across the face of the goal, giving the midfielder plenty of time and space along the 18-yard box to fire home a shot off the post and in for a 1-0 Bloomsburg lead. 

East Stroudsburg did not back down in the face of adversity, getting the better run of play for the following 10 minutes. The Warriors' stretch included the team's first corner kick, a set piece that nearly turned fortuitous. Sydnie Wright could not get a clean touch on the ball off a bounce as what was a shot went up and over the crossbar. The next act in the sequence saw Megan Cairns put a ball into the box that forced Merklin to make a spry stop on top of the ball. Warriors' leading goal scorer Jade Wiley took a long-ranged attempt that hung just a little too high as players on the field watched the shot fall atop the net.

In the follow-up from the Huskies, it was Haley Bull (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) who initiated some of the offense. The first-year attacker forced a diving stop out of ESU goalkeeper Emilia Clarkson before taking a crack from range that drifted off the frame. Kennedie Huber (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) continued the aggressive nature from the Bloomsburg substitutes that required a secure catch from Clarkson, with a Husky lurking nearby for a rebound. 

Following a foul call just outside the box, the Huskies had the perfect setup to double their advantage. Bloomsburg had a well-executed run up to the attempt that forced the early fall of the wall in front of the goal. As the final player on the ball, Savage stepped through and drilled a right-footed shot back into the crack in the wall. Her powerful effort rattled the underside of the woodwork, a classic bar-down goal and a 2-0 lead into halftime.

Both teams maintained their attacking strategies on the field for differing reasons. The Huskies sought to increase their lead while the Warriors hoped to claw back into the contest. Bloomsburg made the first efforts to alter the score, with Donovan first unable to complement one goal from distance with a second. Anika Krasnai (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) later directed a poke towards the bottom right corner before it was punted out of play for a corner. 

East Stroudsburg unsuccessfully leaned into opportunities from outside of the box, as the team's first two shots of the half drifted wide from the intended target before a floating effort from Wiley had Merklin make a routine catch. The relentless efforts from outside the box finally produced the desired outcome, as Carins managed to squeak a knuckled ball past the outstretched arm of Merklin to cut the Huskies' lead to one.

The Warriors continued to apply pressure with several follow-up long-ranged strikes. Neither had the same effect as before. The final two shots of the night for East Stroudsburg were attempts that did not force Merklin to alter her position. 

Even with the lead reduced to one, Bloomsburg was in hot pursuit of the dagger, with efforts from Katie Reynolds (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) and Beth Stephens (Lacey Township, Pa./Marine Academy of Technology) forcing the Warriors into devoting time to defensive efforts rather than the attack. Krasnai nearly put away what would have been a clincher, making a tremendous individual run and catching just too much of the inside of her boot on a shot that curled just outside the post with Clarkson off her line. Anna Dalesandro (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) put one final shot on target inside the final three minutes to cap off the attacking efforts for the evening.

Number of Note: 
2022 - Wednesday's victory was a small hurdle cleared spanning nearly three years. The Huskies' goals against the Warriors helped Bloomsburg earn the team's first win over East Stroudsburg since October 26, 2022. During that stretch, the Huskies were 0-3-2 when facing off with the Warriors and were without a goal in those five contests.

On the Horizon:
The Bloomsburg women's soccer team is on the road Saturday, October 25, at 2:30 p.m. for a top-25 matchup against West Chester.