Flash Points:

• Sara Suler (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) headed home a rebound in the 62nd minute for the eventual game winner
• Julia Hernan (Pottstown, Pa./The Hill School) made four saves for her first collegiate win and clean sheet
• Saint Francis heads to California for two matches next weekend

LORETTO, PA- Sara Suler (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) converted a header off a rebound in the 62nd minute and Saint Francis bottled up the UMBC attack in the second half in a 1-0 victory at the Stokes SoccerPlex on Sunday afternoon. 

Suler headed home a rebound after Shannon McGinnis (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) put a well-paced header on goal off a Gabi Morales (Madrid, Spain/Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac) corner kick. The UMBC defense cleared the initial header off the line but Suler's follow beat keeper Leah Roth up high underneath the crossbar. 

"It was great to see the pieces coming together, it was a true team effort today," head coach Brenda van Stralen said. "We will use this as another building block for the season moving foward."

Both defenses set the tone of the game early as Hernan made a save in the fifth minute and the SFU defense blocked down another attempt. Siobhan Bross (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) and Alyssa McGhee (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) had the first opportunities for the Flash but Bross' shot through traffic sailed high and McGhee shot was stopped along the near post. Minutes later, the Flash continued to attack, countering off a UMBC corner kick. The Retriever defense blocked down a Suler shot and forced attempts from Bross and McGhee to sail high. In the final minutes of the half, it was the Flash who turned up the defensive pressure. A pair of UMBC chances were blocked down while two more were forced wide of Hernan. The teams would go to the half in a scoreless tie. 

It would be SFU's freshmen forwards that applied early second-half pressure. Abigail Tarosky (North Huntington, Pa./Norwin) put a shot just wide of goal as did McGhee in the early stages of the half. The pressure continued off Morales' set piece. The junior lobbed the corner into the six-foot box where McGinnis headed it towards the near post. After the UMBC defense cleared the inital attempt off the line, Suler was there with the follow for her first of the season. 

The retrievers would pressure forward, looking for the equalizer. UMBC's first bit of pressure came in the 67th minute as Hernan made her second save of the half after the initial shot was blocked down. With UMBC pressing forward, the Flash were able to put on a continued counter-attack. Morales just missed high on a shot from the far side of the goal box as a beautiful move by the junior earned her the space to take the shot. SFU kept the pressure up with two more shots getting blocked down and a Bross shot stopped by Roth in the 74th minute. SFU's pressure prevented any serious threat from UMBC as Saint Francis controlled the possession for much of the second half. Shelby Milton (Wollongon, NSW Australia/Westfields Sports) nearly had the Red Flash's second goal of the game as her shot grazed the outside of the far post in the 83rd minute. Off another Morales corner, McGhee settled a ball down just in front of the keeper but her chip shot was knocked down by Roth in the 86th minute. Saint Francis was able to control the ball in the middle of the field over the match's final few minutes and secure their first victory of the regular season. 

Saint Francis out shot UMBC 18-13 including 6-4 in shots on goal, the teams split eight corner kicks. The victory improves Saint Francis to 1-5 on the season while UMBC now sits at 2-4.  The Flash next head to the west coast for a pair of matches in California. First up are the Gauchos of Cal-Santa Barbara. Match time is set for 10pm EST/7pm PST.