GROVE CITY, PA (September 16, 2023) – The Susquehanna women's soccer team took to the road on Saturday afternoon to face off against Grove City College in a non-conference matchup. A back-and-forth battle ended up going the way of the hosts, with the Wolverines scoring twice in the second half to take a 2-1 win.
The River Hawks put consistent pressure on from the opening whistle, drawing four saves out of the Grove City goalkeeper in the first 17 minutes of the match. The stalemate finally broke in the 38th minute, when Emily Wertz received a ball just past midfield and drove through the defense brilliantly, ripping a shot from 25 yards out that cleared above the keeper's hand and into the top left corner. In all, SU would outshoot the Wolverines seven to two in the first half, drawing five saves from the keeper.
The second half saw a much livelier Grove City attack on display as they fought to get back into the game. Susquehanna's pressure continued as well, with shots from Mikela Florio and Maya Ruhalter forcing two more saves in the opening ten minutes of the second half. However, it was Grove City who scored next, picking up an equalizer after a corner kick bounced in the box and fell to an attacker's foot, allowing for a finish that just beat the outstretched hands of Kayleigh Saboja in goal.
With the momentum and the match now back in the balance, both teams continued to press, but once more it was Grove City finding the back of the net. 18 minutes after their first goal, another corner kick would yield a score for the Wolverines. With less than 13 minutes remaining in the match, SU suddenly faced their first deficit of the day. Both sides would continue to add to their shot total, but the score remained 2-1. Susquehanna would for a moment believe they had an equalizer in the final seconds of the game, as Gillian Maack launched a shot from just beyond midfield that fit into the goal just above the Grove City keeper, but the goal would be disallowed, ruled to not have crossed the goal line before the clock hit zero.
The River Hawks finished with 13 shots to Grove City's 11, with nine on target. Saboja ended the day with six saves, a career-high mark.
They'll return to friendly confines on Wednesday, September 20, hosting Ursinus College at 6:30 pm for another non-conference matchup.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
