SELINSGROVE, PA - Susquehanna women's soccer narrowly dropped a 2-1 decision to DeSales on Friday night. Despite falling two goals down in the second half, they stayed in the game until the very end, but ultimately were unable to turn the game around.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first chance went the way of the River Hawks, when Sydney Williams won the ball back in the attacking third, beat a pair of Bulldog defenders, and had an effort fizz wide of the right post.
- Kalie Quaglia volleyed goalwards from a free-kick delivery from Chloe Michaels, but only found the DeSales goalkeeper's hands in the 30th minute.
- A pair of chances in the final minutes of the first half went the way of Amelia Kopp, the second of which was a lobbed effort from distance that was tipped away by the Bulldogs' stopper.
- DeSales had a chance from a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, but Katie Henchy came up with an important save diving to her left to deny the chance.
- After Henchy made an impressive double save from Makayla Issakhani, the Bulldogs opened the scoring from the resulting corner in the 53rd minute.
- The Bulldogs doubled their advantage five minutes later, when they took a free-kick quickly and created a second goal put in by Avery Lane.
- Caroline Slunt's chance nearly got the River Hawks back in it, but she was denied by the visitors' goalkeeper.
- Rachel Rinehart had a similar chance repelled in the 73rd minute.
- Susquehanna won a corner as the game entered the final ten minutes, and the ensuing delivery by Hannah Parslow picked out Ava Billmeyer, who headed home to halve the deficit in the 81st minute.
- Another Parslow corner found Billmeyer's head, but her shot was blocked in the 85th minute, and she had another chance saved in the 87th minute.
- The Bulldogs were able to keep the Susquehanna attack at bay as the clock expired.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Susquehanna won the battle for shots, taking 16 to DeSales' 11, but the Bulldogs' nine on goal led to two goals, while Susquehanna managed seven shots on target.
- Billmeyer and Kopp led the team with four shots, with Billmeyer having three on target and Kopp having an additional two. Maesie Baker also managed a pair of shots, and Quaglia and Rinehart were also credited with shots on target. Billmeyer's goal was her team-best third of the year, and the eighth strike of her career.
- Henchy made seven saves across the 90 minutes, adding to her conference-best 2025 tally, now at 32 for the year
- The River Hawks won five corners and committed 11 fouls, while DeSales won three corners and committed 13 fouls.
UP NEXT FOR SU
- The River Hawks are back on home turf on Wednesday, September 17, taking on Muhlenberg. They travel to Marymount (VA) the following Saturday, September 20th.
