LORETTO, Pa. (Sept. 19, 2008) – It was a game of firsts at the DeGol Soccer Complex on Friday, as the Saint Francis women's soccer team suffered it's first loss of the season at the hands of Youngstown State whose 1-0 victory was their first of the season.
The Red Flash will remain in Loretto for a 1 PM match up against Temple at the DeGol Soccer Complex on Sunday.
Both teams played solid defense but struggled to score throughout the first half. After trading shots back and forth, the Penguins got on the board first on a goal by sophomore forward Lauren Brennan. Brennan had a breakaway up the sideline from midfield, but her shot would end up hitting sophomore goalkeeper
Lauren Fearer (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant Area) (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant Area) before going into the net. The Penguins are now 1-6-0 this season.
Senior forward
Alanna Vespa (Ancaster, Ontario/Saint Mary’s Catholic) (Ancaster, Ontario/Saint Mary's Catholic) came close to tying the game on a header with less than five minutes to play in the second half, but her shot would be saved on a solid play by Penguins goalkeeper Mariah Snyder.
Vespa had 3 shots on the day, with only the header coming on goal. Junior forward
Rachael Seibert (Murrysville, Pa/Franklin Regional) (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) led the team with a total of five shots, with one on goal. Freshman midfielder
Traci Flick (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville) (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville) and junior defender
Caitlin Vultaggio (Nashua, N.H./Lawrence Academy) (Nashua, N.H./Lawrence Academy) each had a shot on goal as well. The Red Flash out shot the Penguins 17-8, and had 10 corner kicks to the Penguins' 2.
“It was a learning experience,” said head coach
Brenda van Stralen of the team's first loss. “We didn't have the work ethic we needed to win tonight. But we will take this and use it to prepare for our next game.”
The loss was the first for the Red Flash since Oct. 28 of last year, when they lost 1-0 to Monmouth. The team was on a school-record 8 game unbeaten streak before the loss to Youngstown State. They are now 2-1-4 this season.
