SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley College women's soccer team clinched its spot in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Championships as the third seed with a 3-0 victory over Marywood University on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Pacers Turf Field.
Megan Ressler,
Jayme Beninda, and
Ashlynn Newton each scored a goal for LVC, playing an integral role in the win.
Abrielle Miller was also a key contributor for the Flying Dutchmen, dishing out a game-high two assists. The senior's second of the night marked the 26th of her career, tying Lebanon Valley's career program record for assists. Newton tallied an assist for the program as well.
The Pacers (10-5-2, 2-4-1 MAC Freedom) recorded the first shot of the game 2:21 into the first half, but the Dutchmen (9-5-0, 5-2-0 MAC Freedom) responded with a save by goalkeeper
Camryn Porter, who recently set the program's career record for shutouts. The teams followed this by battling defensively, as neither squad tallied a shot for nearly 15 minutes. Lebanon Valley then generated a pair of offensive opportunities, as
Meredith Mantione put a shot on target that was saved at the 17:15 mark and
Kalei Noonan had an attempt saved a minute later.
Marywood countered with a pair of shots within seven seconds in the 21st minute, including an attempt that Porter saved for LVC and a try that went to the left of the net. Each team then had two shots saved during the next 9:54. The Dutchmen opened the scoring 35:06 into the contest, taking a 1-0 lead. The program got on the board when Ressler sent a shot from the penalty box into the lower-left side of the net, courtesy of an assist by Newton. LVC took this one-goal advantage into halftime.
The teams went back and forth when the second half got underway, as each squad took two shots during the first 14:42 of the stanza. During this stretch, Porter delivered a save for the Flying Dutchmen. Lebanon Valley's offense followed this by creating a pair of scoring chances, as Ressler put two shots on goal that were saved within 10 seconds in the 62nd minute. Marywood later put another shot on target at the 63:46 mark, and Lebanon Valley answered with a stop by Porter. LVC then outshot the opposition 3-1 over the next 9:59.
The Dutchmen found the net again 74:03 into the game, going ahead 2-0. Miller delivered a cross from the right side of the penalty box to the left side of the goal box, which led to Beninda sending a shot into the right corner of the net for a goal. Lebanon Valley added a tally at the 84:16 mark, extending its lead to 3-0. The program went ahead by three when Newton kicked the ball into the lower-right side of the net for a goal, after an assist by Miller. This would stand as the final score, as the Flying Dutchmen maintained their lead through the end of the contest to secure their spot in the conference tournament.
Inside the Box Score
- Lebanon Valley clinched its second consecutive postseason appearance.
- The Dutchmen have won five consecutive games.
- Ressler scored her eighth goal of the season, which marked her second game-winner. The junior is currently tied for fourth in the conference in goals. Ressler also tallied a game-high three shots on goal.
- Newton recorded a game-high three points with her fifth goal of the campaign and an assist on Ressler's game-winning goal. This marked the sophomore's third straight game with a goal. Newton also took a game-high six shots, tying a season-high.
- Beninda netted her third goal of the fall.
- Miller registered a game-high two assists, tying a career-high. The senior now has 26 career assists, tying Amanda Douglass '15 and Robyn LaRosa Cox '02 for the program record. Miller also currently has 88 career points, which is tied for fourth in program history. Additionally, Miller is tied for the most assists in the MAC Freedom this year with seven, while leading the conference with 25 points.
- Porter made seven saves during her seventh shutout of the year, which is tied for third in the program's single-season record books. This marked her 22nd career clean sheet, adding to the program record she set last week in the 6-0 win at Delaware Valley University.
- Lebanon Valley outshot Marywood 20-11 and had a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal.
- LVC tallied four corner kicks.
Up Next
The Flying Dutchmen will conclude the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 31, at noon, when the program will host Arcadia University at Herbert Field.
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