CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (Sept. 13) – The Saint Vincent women's soccer team saw its winning streak snapped at three games, falling 1-0 in a non-conference bout at Wilson College.
The host Phoenix (3-2-1) scored the game's lone goal in the 54th minute, and despite a late offensive push, the Bearcats (3-2) were unable to net the equalizer.
Wilson closed with a slim 14-11 margin in shots, with each team putting seven shots on target.
Saint Vincent took four of the game's first five shots in the opening half, with
Ashley Smith,
Tanisha Grewal and
Olivia Toomey all putting shots on goal in the first 20 minutes. Play evened out as the half wound on, with each team posting just one shot over the final 18 minutes, including another shot on goal by SVC's
Emma Koller in the 39th minute. With just over a minute left in the half, the Bearcats thwarted a Wilson corner kick, as the teams went into the locker room in a scoreless deadlock.
Wilson pressed the action early in the second half, with SVC's
Madison Arnold posting a pair of saves in the opening 90 seconds of the frame. The Bearcats countered, with a shot by
Tanisha Grewal leading to a corner kick in the 48th minute, but came up empty. The Phoenix would then crack the scoreboard in the 54th minute, with Katie Riley scoring off of an assist from Halley Shaffer.
The Bearcat defense would then keep the Phoenix at bay, with Arnold turning in three saves between the 61st and 73rd minutes.
With 12 minutes left, a shot from Grewal was saved, before the SVC striker drew a foul. The subsequent free kick, however, would sail just wide. After another save by Arnold with 6:15 left, the Bearcats countered with a sustained possession, leading to a corner kick with just over three minutes remaining, but the ensuing shot by
Cori Bieber was saved, and the Phoenix were able to run out the clock.
Grewal led Saint Vincent with five shots, including two on goal, while Arnold, the reigning Presidents' Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, was strong in defeat, finishing with six saves.
The Bearcats will now conclude their busy week on Friday, Sept. 15, when they open Homecoming weekend at Saint Vincent with a 4 p.m. matchup against La Roche on the UPMC Field turf.
