DUNMORE, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's soccer team utilized a four-goal second half to cruise to a 5-0 win against Lackawanna Wednesday afternoon.
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The scoring opened with an early-minute goal in the first half by
Katie Reynolds (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), assisted by
Laci Bell (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point). After several minutes of consistent pressure in the attacking third, Bloomsburg uncorked four goals in the final 18 minutes of the contest. Goal scorers for the Huskies in the second half included
Morgan Pennisi (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland),
Beth Stephens (Lacey Township, N.J./Marine Academy of Technology),
Abby Rock (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy), and
Molly Weber (Manville, N.J./Manville), while assists came from
Caydence Feehan (Shamong, N.J./Seneca),
Meghan Shannon (Logan Township, N.J./Kingsway Regional), and
Jordan Andrews (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood).
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In total, Bloomsburg finished with a 31-1 shot advantage against Lackawanna and a 9-0 edge in corner kicks taken. The Huskies move to 3-3 on the season, while Lackawanna fell to
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How It Happened:
The Huskies controlled the flow of the match from the opening whistle, a display encapsulated by dominant possession. The time on the ball gave Bloomsburg the time and opportunities to open the match on the right foot.
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The right foot in question would be Reynolds', who gave Bloomsburg the lead less than three minutes into the first half. The Huskies held the ball at midfield before a deep entry pass with a sort pass to Bell. The senior midfielder held off a defender on her hip and threaded a pass to Reynolds cutting inside the box from the right wing. The sophomore stepped into her shot that aimed toward the far post and skipped it past the goalkeeper for a 1-0 advantage.
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Bloomsburg's long-standing possession in the half led to another seven shots through 45 minutes, including four chances on goal. All Lackawanna could muster in that timeframe were a few attempts to play direct in hopes of catching the Huskies on the counterattack.
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As the second half of action kicked off and reached past the halfway point, Bloomsburg's long stints of retention on the ball had yet to bear fruit for additional goals. That changed in the 73rd minute, as the floodgates opened with the first of four goals in 15 minutes. The sequence began with the Huskies switching the field of play before driving in the 18-yard box. Despite initially losing the ball, Bloomsburg pressed high to regain possession, forcing a less-than-ideal clearance attempt that fell to the feet of Feehan. The sophomore drove toward the endline around one defender and put in a low ball into the six-yard box that squeaked past several bodies and to the left foot of Pennisi for a poked-in finish.
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Three minutes later, the Huskies were back on the scoresheet with the connection between Stephens and Shannon. Getting an entry pass just outside the box, Shannon's touch took the first-year midfielder down the right flank. From there, she shifted her momentum to whip in a cross on her left foot to Stephens. The senior forward flicked a header with perfect placement into the bottom corner to make it a 3-0 game. Bloomsburg's next goal came from the penalty spot, as Rock was taken out from behind inside the box in wait of a pass for a potential goal-scoring chance. The chance would remain with Rock, slotting away the penalty to add to a strong second-half showing. The exclamation point for the Huskies came at the tail end of the 87th minute. Andrews used her pace down the right wing to get past her defender and squared up for a passing opportunity. Her delivery was well placed, allowing Weber to cut off a marking defender with an inside run to find the bottom corner.
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Numbers of Note:
28 - Bloomsburg got a number of its players involved in Wednesday afternoon's match. A total of 28 different Huskies took the field in the team's win over Lackawanna.
4 - Several Bloomsburg players getting extended minutes on Wednesday made teh most of their opportunities. Four of the nine players to record a goal involvement against the Falcons notched their first career points. Pennisi, Rock and Weber all found the back of the net for the first time while Shannon registered her first collegiate assist.
On the Horizon:
The Huskies return to Steph Pettit Stadium on Saturday, September 19, at 3:00 p.m. to take on Kutztown and celebrate Senior Day.
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