Flash Points:
- Julia Hernan (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) made eight saves for the Red Flash on Sunday.
- Gabi Morales (Madrid, Spain/Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac) led the team with two shots on goal.
- Bucknell scored with just 40 seconds left in the match.
LORETTO, PA- Kendall Ham's header off a cross with 42 seconds left was the difference on Sunday as Saint Francis fell to Bucknell 1-0 at the Stokes SoccerPlex.
"A lot of positives came out of our match today," coach
Brenda van Stralen said. "Obviously you don't like the loss, but we put a lot of new faces out there, we will learn how to close out games and build off this to prepare us for conference."
Julia Hernan (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) made eight saves for Saint Francis including a pair of acrobatic stops in the second half to keep the match scoreless. Hernan made a couple of nice saves early on the Bison's Alexis Gannon as Bucknell took shots from distance early.
The Flash countered well all game long and
Gabi Morales (Madrid, Spain/Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac) put a strong shot on goal following Hernan's second save. Her skip shot was blocked down by Jessica Ratner to keep the match scoreless. The Flash defense forced several errant shots out of the Bison as the midway point of the first half passed. Off a Hernan goal kick,
Allison LaDuke (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) found space on the left side and just missed the far post with a shot from 20 yards out. SFU kept the counter attack going as senior
Siobhan Bross (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) put a shot on goal following another Hernan save but Ratner cut off Bross' angle to make the save in the 36th minute. The teams would be scoreless at the half.
Hernan continued to stand tall in the second half. The sophomore made a pair of saves off of set pieces early to keep the Bison off the scoreboard. Again the Flash looked to counter and
Sara Suler (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory), off a set piece fired a shot that missed the far post from just outside the 18-box. The teams jockeyed for position in the midfield for much of the second half and in the 67th minute, Bucknell looked to pressure again. The Bison earned three corner kicks but the Flash defense rose to the occasion, blocking down two shots and Hernan making a pair of saves.
The sophomore's finest save came in the 76th minute as Karli Cirovski hit a rising shot from just inside the box, Hernan laid out and tipped the ball over the crossbar to force a corner kick. Hernan's eighth save of the match came with just under 10 minutes remaing, scooping up a header off another Bison corner. The sophomore quickly out-letted the ball as the Flash countered back. Morales, who was heavily marked all game, found space on the far side but Ratner beat the ball to the near post for her third save of the game.
With under a minute remaining, the Bison gained control of the ball off a SFU set piece. With the Flash pushing for the goal, the Bison countered as Maddie Mulford crossed the ball to Kendall Ham in the box. Her header redirected the ball back to the far post and past Hernan for the match's lone goal.
Saint Francis will take to the road next week for a pair of matches before returning home on August 30th. The Red Flash will travel to Loyola (MD) on Thursday night to take on the Greyhounds. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
