Gophers Drop Landmark Conference Opener to Scranton
TOWSON, Md. – Facing a Scranton squad that has not lost a conference game since 2009, the Goucher women’s soccer team stayed within a goal for the first 58 minutes. The Royals, however, pulled away in the final half hour, with a Samantha Russo hat trick keying a 5-0 setback for the Gophers at Beldon Field.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Scranton
(9-2, 2-0 LC)
|
1 | 4 | 5 |
|
Goucher
(4-6-1, 0-1 LC)
|
0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Stats
Scranton
| Game Statistics | Scranton | Goucher |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 21 (9) | 3 (1) |
| Saves | 1 | 4 |
| Fouls | 6 | 3 |
| Corner Kicks | 7 | 4 |
| Offsides | 0 | 3 |
TOWSON, Md. – Facing a Scranton squad that has not lost a conference game since 2009, the Goucher women's soccer team stayed within a goal for the first 58 minutes. The Royals, however, pulled away in the final half hour, with a Samantha Russo hat trick keying a 5-0 setback for the Gophers at Beldon Field.
Goucher (4-6-1, 0-1 LC) fell to 2-3-1 in home matches, while the Royals (9-2, 2-0 LC) won their ninth match in a row.
Russo gave Scranton the lead 5:27 into the match, drilling a low shot into the right hand corner of the goal. Goucher's defense prevented the Royals from getting another shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, and Samantha Turner (Vineland, N.J./Vineland) nearly equalized when her long-distance effort was tipped away by Kelsy McAnelly in the 29th minute.
Gopher goalie Juliana Harkavy (Memphis, Tenn./Ridgeway) made four saves to open up the second half, but Scranton put the match away with three goals in a span of 3:45. Kelly Egan scored on a long-distance shot in the 59th minute, and Russo followed with a pair of goals to complete her hat trick. Stephania Gonnella closed out the scoring with 48 seconds remaining.
Turner led Goucher with a pair of shots, while Maeve Downey (West Baldwin, Maine/Sacopee Valley) added another shot for the Gophers. Scranton finished the game with 21 shots, including 15 in the final 45 minutes.
Goucher returns to action this Tuesday at Beldon Field with a non-conference matchup against Lancaster Bible. The Gophers defeated the Chargers (8-3) by a 2-0 score in last year's season opener.
