BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's soccer team's PSAC Championship run came to an end Saturday evening with a 2-1 defeat at Steph Pettit Stadium to Millersville.

The Huskies (10-6-2) put together a strong showing in the first half. Bloomsburg struck first thanks to a great run and finish by midfielder Laci Bell (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point). Despite the life shown through the first 45 minutes, it was the Marauders who flipped the script in the second half to strike twice and steal a victory in the dying moments of the match.

How It Happened:
The Huskies came out of the gates with an intensity that had been missing from some of their previous contests. The postseason atmosphere brought out the best in both sides, with the early feeling-out process showcasing what was in store. Bloomsburg eventually established a strong foothold that would persist throughout the remainder of the first half, a run of play started by what was almost the first goal.

A throw-in led to the play becoming jumbled around the 18-yard box, eventually resulting in a ball being played around the edge of the box directly in front of the net. Olivia Thompson (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) took an initial touch before flicking a nod over her shoulder to a cutting Emma Wilkinson (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West). The senior got just enough room around her defender to get a poke, and the Millersville goalkeeper got a shin on the ball to redirect it just enough to pitter off the crossbar. That sequence would ignite the Huskies, however, leading to several blocked opportunities and positive signs on the attack. 

Those signs would soon point in the direction of the back of the net for an early Bloomsburg lead. A direct kick from Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) would play right into the path of the goal, taking one bounce deep in the Maruaders' midfield area before a header from a Millersville defender. Thompson would play her own head forward, as Wilkinson reenacted Thompson's backwards to send Bell through on goal. The midfielder took her time and slotted a well-placed finish into the bottom left corner to put the Huskies out in front. 

As Merklin made several saves over the course of the half to keep her side moving forward, Bloomsburg nearly saw a fantastic strike for a second goal. Kennedie Huber (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) received a pass down the left wing to set up the initial movement. The junior would redirect her momentum and cut inside. With enough time and space following her decision, Huber made another decision that was inches away from paying off, a right-footed effort from outside the box that rattled the underside of the crossbar. There was a moment with the ricochet going back into the field, but no Husky was in the right place at the right time for a rebound finish. Saturday's match would prove to be a game of inches, with those missed opportunities coming back to haunt Bloomsburg by the end of the night.

Just as the Huskies had set the tone in the first half, it was the Marauders who dictated the flow of the match in the second. While Bloomsburg came close to its second goal, a blocked shot from Thompson and a mis-hit finish from a free kick by Wilkinson, the Huskies' lead eventually fell just under 25 minutes into the half on a solo counter-attacking effort from Millersville's Aubrey Strohecker. 

With the game knotted up, Bloomsburg remained unable to find the same rhythm in its attacking build-up established in the first half, coming up one pass away from a breakaway or from a clear-cut shot on goal. The pressure from the Marauders that had begun to mount caught the Huskies out of sorts with just under three minutes left in the contest. A pass intended for the backline was intercepted by Strohecker, with the forward emptying the tank in a dash towards the goal. Strohecker managed to play a ball to an unmarked Caroline Wood, storming into the box, doing just what was needed to put the ball into the bottom right corner and end the night in heartbreak for the Huskies.

Numbers of Note:
2018 - A longstanding streak came to an untimely and unfortunate end for the Huskies Saturday evening. Millersville earns its first victory over Bloomsburg since 2018 and avenges its 2021 PSAC Championship Game defeat at Steph Pettit Stadium.