BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's soccer team fell in a tightly contested battle in its home finale at Steph Pettit Stadium on Saturday, 1-0, to Millersville.
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The Huskies (9-6-1, 6-6-1 PSAC East) kept the Marauders (9-4-3, 6-4-3 PSAC East) at bay for the first 45 minutes of the match. Early in the second half, Millersville capitalized on a loose ball in the open field with two attackers in an advanced position, coming away with what proved to be the game-winner. Bloomsburg rallied to create several chances in front of the net throughout the remainder of the contest, but came up short of the finishing touch to escape defeat.
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How It Happened:
The Marauders opened the match with a strong run of possession, putting early pressure on the Huskies' defense. That possession led to two chances on goal early for Millersville, with
Izzy Hoffeditz (Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan) making both saves. Bloomsburg took some time, but eventually settled into a counter-attacking rhythm that began to reinvigorate the squad following the early momentum from the visitors. Immediately coming off the bench,
Kelsey Beatie (Middletown, Del./Appoquinimink) had arguably the best chance of the second part of the first half.
Laci Bell (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) controlled the ball and flicked it down the right wing to
Cassi Snyder (Hegins, Pa./Tri-Valley) on the overlap from her defensive position. The sophomore whipped in a winding cross only reachable by Beatie, with the forward's header having slightly too much power, hitting and bouncing over the crossbar. An attempt from
Haley Bull (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) rounded out 13 minutes with four total shots for the Huskies while quieting the Marauders' attack.
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Millersville regained momentary control through the final 10 minutes of the first half, firing off the final two shots of the first 45 minutes. Millersville finished with a 5-4 shot advantage and a 2-1 edge in corner kicks at the break.
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The Marauders came out of the second half and caught the Huskies off-balance, scoring inside the first two minutes to take the lead. The Bloomsburg defense was momentarily out of sorts, with two players competing for the ball in the open field. An attempted clearance turned into a boon for the visitors, ricocheting off another Husky and toward the net. With two players for Millersville over the ball, the Bloomsburg backline could not recover in time to make the necessary stop.
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The Huskies went down swinging on Saturday, with several chances to find the equalizer. Bull had a chance in front of net after a collision in the box between two Millersville players. The rush in hopes of beating the Marauders' defense pushed the shot wide. Bloomsburg created a flurry of chances inside the final 10 minutes in the box, with Snyder getting the best and final two looks. The defender had one attempt on the doorstep of goal saved by the Millersville goalkeeper following one corner kick. Another corner kick immediately followed; Snyder tracked a ball coming into the box well after it was cycled, but narrowly missed the connection to put her team on the scoreboard.
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On the Horizon:
The Huskies are on the road on Wednesday, October 28, to take on East Stroudsburg at 7:00 p.m. in the regular-season finale.
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