Mid-Atlantic Review, Week 3

By D3soccer.com Contributor

The first USC regional rankings are out, so a few new faces appear this week and a few drop out. We’re keeping an eye on several teams that are starting to raise some eyebrows with their records and time will tell if they’re contenders or pretenders. Conference games are right around the corner, so let’s enjoy these last few non-conference

Messiah (5-1-0 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com No. 7 / MA Region No. 1

The Falcons bounced back from their first loss of the season by trouncing Penn State Berks (2-4-0 / 0-0-0) by a final score of 6-1. The Falcons got three goals from their two senior All-Americans - Brooke Firestone scored twice and Sunny Gelnovatch scored once. Kayla Herr, Rebecca Ritchie, and Rachael Tirjan added goals for the Falcons in the lopsided win. The Falcons outshot the Nittany Lions 21-3 (15-3 SOG) and led in corners 9-1.

Saturday night against Carnegie Mellon (3-2-1 / 0-0-0), the Falcons withstood an early Tartan assault and then took control of the game for a 3-0 win. Falcon keeper Lydia Ewing was strong in the early going, making several outstanding saves to keep the game scoreless. Messiah was able to take over the game after that initial surge and controlled possession for the remainder of the match. The Falcons broke through in the 26th minute on a goal by junior Maddie Kohl. Freshman Kylie Firestone “did like sis” in the 39th minute, emulating big sister Brooke by scoring her first collegiate goal to give the Falcons the 2-0 halftime lead. Freshman Rebecca Ritchie finished up the scoring in the 89th minute, knocking back in a clearance off the line by a Tartan defender. The Falcons controlled most of the match, especially the second half when they held the Tartans to a single shot. For the match, Messiah held a 20-5 shot advantage (11-3 SOG) and a 7-0 lead in corner kicks.

The Falcons only have one match this week when they host Denison (1-3-3 / 0-0-0) on Shoemaker Field Saturday afternoon.

Johns Hopkins (5-1-1 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com No. 9 / MA Region No. 2

The Blue Jays were finally able to have some good luck in a close game against a quality opponent when they took on No. 2 TCNJ (4-1-0 / 0-0-0) Wednesday night. Despite being outshot 11-21 (5-6 SOG) and being out-cornered 5-8, they were able to pull off a 2-1 victory on a late goal by senior Maddy Rocks. Rocks was able to tap in a rebound off of a rocket shot from classmate Maggie Coulson, who slammed a free kick into the crossbar in the 71st minute. Senior Emily Maheras scored the tying goal in the 28th minute to answer the Lion’s, who had opened the scoring two minutes prior. This is the first road victory for the Blue Jays against the Lions since 2011.

The Blue Jays returned to Jersey Saturday night to face Rowan (3-2-0 / 0-0-0), and this time left no doubt about the outcome of the game. Seniors Maddy Rocks and Emily Maheras scored second half goals for the 2-0 win, but the score was not indicative of the domination shown by Hopkins. The Blue Jays outshot Rowan 34-8 (15-3 SOG) and took six corners to the Profs’ two. The score would have been much more, had it not been for Rowan keeper Bristol Pizzuto, who made 13 saves for the Profs.

The Blue Jays travel to Reading, PA, to take on Penn State-Berks (2-4-0 / 0-0-0) Wednesday night before hosting Bryn Mawr (3-1-0 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon.

Misericordia (3-2-0 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com No. 22 / MA Region No. 3

The Cougars welcomed No. 25 Arcadia (6-0-1 / 0-0-0) to Mangelsdorf Field Saturday night in a much-anticipated matchup and played the part of Jekyll and Hyde. In the first half, the two teams battled back and forth with shots being nearly even. In the second half, however, the Cougars were unable to contain the Knights’ offensive assault and surrendered three goals in the 3-0 defeat. The Cougars were outshot 4-16 in the second half and 8-22 total (11-3 SOG). The Cougars trailed slightly in corners taken at 2-3.

The Cougars’ Wednesday night matchup with Lebanon Valley (1-3-0 / 0-0-0) was postponed due to lightning. A date has not yet been announced for makeup.

The Cougars hit the road this week, heading to No. 3 William Smith (4-0-0 / 0-0-0) for a Wednesday afternoon tilt before heading over to Bethlehem, PA, to face Moravian (3-2-0 / 0-0-0) Saturday night. The Cougars beat the Herons last year 2-1 at home.

Stevens (2-3-1 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com No. 14 / SA Region No. 4

The Mid-Atlantic Region welcomed Stevens back into its fold this season, but the women’s soccer teams have been less than welcoming to the Ducks. The top teams in the region have sent a message to the Ducks that coming to the Mid-Atlantic is not going to be a cakewalk. After a loss to Messiah and being pushed around by Johns Hopkins, Stevens ran into a tough Swarthmore (5-1-0 / 0-0-0) squad Friday night who, despite being outshot and out-cornered, beat the Ducks 1-0. The Ducks put up 25 shots to the Garnet’s 18 (7-6 SOG) and led in corners 6-4, but couldn’t put one in the back of the net.

Stevens hosted No. 2 TCNJ (4-1-0 / 0-0-0) Sunday afternoon, and fell to their old South Atlantic Region foe by a score of 3-1. The Ducks took the early lead on sophomore Ally Wanzor’s goal in the 14th minute and battled evenly with the Lions for the remainder of the half. Both teams had chances to score in the opening stanza, but neither team could add a score and the Ducks held a 1-0 halftime lead. The Lions came out strong in the second half, and the depth of TCNJ began to take a toll on the Ducks. The Lions tied the score in the 50th minute and took the lead six minutes later. Ducks’ junior keeper Erika McCarthy stopped a penalty kick in the 77th minute, but the rebound slowly trickled towards the line and a Lion player got to the ball first to tap it in and seal the game. The Ducks were outshot 9-15, but had six shots on goal to the Lions’ five. The Ducks also took two more corner kicks, holding a 4-2 edge.

The Ducks travel to Scranton (0-1-3 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon to take on the Royals in their only game of the week.

Swarthmore (5-1-0 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com No. 13 / MA Region No. 5

Friday night, the Garnet welcomed Stevens (2-3-1 / 0-0-0) to Clothier Field and despite being outshot 18-25 (6-7 SOG) by the Ducks and out cornered four to six, were able to come away with a 1-0 win. Junior Kim Kockenmeister lobbed a header past the Stevens keeper in the third minute and the Garnet defense held off the Ducks for the remainder of the game. Sophomore Chantal Reyes finished with seven saves in the match, several of those being of the spectacular ilk.

The Garnet hosted Penn State Berks (2-4-0 / 0-0-0) Sunday afternoon and came away with a 3-0 victory. Senior Brittany Weiderhold opened the scoring when she snuck in behind the Nittany Lion defense on a breakaway in the 5th minute. What had started to look like a potential blowout settled into a defensive struggle. Despite getting off nine shots, the Garnet were held to mostly non-threatening looks that were easily handled by the Lion keeper. After the break, Swarthmore came out in a more threatening posture, applying more pressure on the Lion defense and putting in two second half goals. Junior Lizzie King and sophomore Megan Ruoff added insurance goals for the Garnet, who on the day outshot Berks 22-10 (14-3 SOG) and led in corners three to zero.

The Garnet have a single game this week, hosting the Red Devils of Dickinson (3-0-2 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon.

Arcadia (6-0-1 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com 25 / MA Region No. 6

The Knights surrendered the first goal Tuesday night to Cabrini (3-1-1 / 0-0-0), but then exploded for five of their own to cruise to a 5-1 victory at home. Junior Megan Mannato scored her first career hat trick and the game winner, while freshman Taylor Gubler scored her first collegiate goal. Senior Karlie Flowers also scored for the Knights. The Knights outshot the Cavaliers 19-4 (10-1 SOG) and had the only two corner kicks of the game.

The Knights traveled to No. 22 Misericordia (3-2-0 / 0-0-0) Saturday night and made a statement, simply “Rank Us Higher”. The Knights took it to the Cougars on their home pitch, especially in the second half where they outshot the Cougars 16-4. Junior Mackenzie Hoffman recorded a hat trick, with all three goals coming within a ten minute span in the second half. For the contest, the Knights outshot the Cougars 22-8 (11-3 SOG) and held a slight edge in corners at 3-2.

The Knights host the Profs of Rowan (3-2-0 / 0-0-0) Wednesday afternoon before heading north to take on the Colonels of Wilkes (2-1-1 / 0-0-0) in an afternoon contest Saturday.

Dickinson (3-0-2 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com RV / MA Region No. 7

The Red Devils were slow to get to the party Saturday against Alvernia (2-2-0 / 0-0-0), but once they got there they wrecked the place, beating the Golden Wolves by a score of 6-1. Dickinson scored six times in the second half to blow the game wide open after a scoreless first half. Senior Addy Zandi led the way with a brace, while teammates Ally Diez, Meg Tate, Caitlin Gugliotta, and Phebe Guenther added singles. The Red Devils outshot the Golden Wolves 33-3 (15-3 SOG) and took seven corners to Alvernia’s one.

The Red Devils head out on the road this week, traveling to Shenandoah (5-2-0 / 0-0-0) Tuesday night and Swarthmore (5-1-0 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon.

Haverford (4-1-0 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com NR / MA Region No. 8

Tuesday afternoon against Eastern (3-2-0 / 0-0-0), the Fords scored early and often, riding four first half goals to a 4-0 victory. Senior Leanne Ludwick scored a hat trick and first year Celia Page added another in the lop-sided win. The Fords outshot the Eagles 19-6 (12-3 SOG) and held a slight edge in corners at 5-4. Ludwick’s hat trick is the first for a Haverford player since 2008.

The Fords took care of Widener (5-1-0 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon on Walton Field, using three first half goals for a 3-0 win. Senior Leanne Ludwick, sophomore Jaclyn Corbin, and first-year Celia Page scored goals and the Fords’ defense kept the previously unbeaten Pride off the board. The Fords launched 14 shots to the Pride’s lone second half offering (7-0 SOG) and led in corners 5-1.

The Fords host Immaculata (2-4-0 / 0-0-0) Tuesday afternoon and Alvernia (2-2-0 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon.

Gettysburg (4-0-0 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com NR / MA Region No. 9

The Bullets struggled early against the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley (1-3-0 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon, but picked it up in the second half and earned a hard-fought 4-1 victory. Senior Charlotte Cenatiempo and sophomore Erika Muskus each scored a pair of goals for the Bullets, with Cenatiempo’s first coming just 90 seconds left in the first half. Gettysburg had controlled most of the play, putting up ten shots to the Dutchmen’s four in the period, but the Bullets couldn’t put one past the LVC keeper until moments before the break. The second half was closer statistically, but not on the scoreboard, as the Bullets put in three to the Dutchmen’s lone goal. For the match, the Bullets outshot the Dutchmen 16-9 (10-4 SOG) and took five corners to LVC’s two.

The Bullets travel this week, first to face the Spartans of York (Pa.) (1-4-0 / 0-0-0) Wednesday afternoon, then heading to Washington College (3-1-1 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon.

Scranton (0-1-3 / 0-0-0) D3Soccer.com NR / MA Region No. 10

The Royals battled Farmingdale State (2-1-2 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon in New York, and again came away without that elusive first win of the season. For the third time this young campaign, they battled for 110 minutes and couldn’t put in the game-winner. The first half was fairly even, with each team getting off four shots, but the Royals controlled the second half, getting off eight shots to the Rams’ two. The Rams controlled overtime, though, putting five shots up against the Royals’ single. For the even-up match, shots were in favor of Scranton 13-11 (7-6 SOG) and corners even at three.

The Royals’ match with Marywood (1-3-0 / 0-0-0) slated for Wednesday night was postponed to a later date.

The Royals have two stiff tests this week to earn that first win, first traveling to face the Violets of New York University (4-1-0 / 0-0-0) before hosting the Stevens Ducks (2-3-1 / 0-0-0) Saturday afternoon. If they don’t win this week, don’t expect to see them here in the week #4 review.

Watching… and what they did this week

Widener (5-1-0 / 0-0-0) Won 2-0 against Neumann, lost 3-0 to Haverford

Week 3 is done. We are flying through this season. That chill in the air is reminding us that conference games are starting this week for many. Rivalry games are starting, the ones you circled at the start of the year against those teams that you love to hate… Here we go, we’re in the thick of it!

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