Junior forward leads SRU past Charleston

The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team snagged a 1-0 win over the University of Charleston on Tuesday in their fifth consecutive road game.

 Junior Shelby Ward scored the lone goal for the Rock (4-3-2) off a pass from sophomore Izabel Scott in the 83rd minute of the game.

Each team tallied nine total shots and five shots on goal. However, SRU held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.

Junior goalie Dana O'Neill stopped five shots on goal, three in the first half and two in the second, earning the shutout for the Rock.

Last Saturday, the Rock fell 1-0 to Kutztown University of Pennsylvania on a goal scored by the Golden Bears with only 1:02 left in regulation play.

The two teams played an even game until the 89th minute of the game, when the Golden Bears put the ball past senior goalie Lisa Rodgers to set them up 1-0 with about a minute left.

Ward had two quick chances to score in the final seconds of the game, but neither attempt was successful, having one deflected by a Kutztown defender and one last-shot effort sailing high. Sophomore Kara Mullins and freshman Lucy Hannon added three shots each in the game for the Rock's offense.

The Rock posted an 11-7 advantage in total shots and held an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks.

Rodgers recorded three saves in goal, but let one past during the final minute. She was credited the loss for the Green and White.

SRU's defense also registered a team save.

Although the team has a winning record, the season is not going entirely the way Ward had expected.

"The season has been a little more challenging than I anticipated," Ward said. "We got off to a slow start, but hopefully the next few games are exactly what we need to get us back on our feet."

The Green and White will be back at home this weekend for the first time in three weeks as they host Bloomsburg University on Friday at 1 p.m. and East Stroudsburg University on Saturday at 1 p.m.

O'Neill explained what the team needs to do this weekend to pick up two potentially important wins.

"Ideally what needs to happen this weekend is that we need to work extremely hard as a team and finish any opportunities we may get," O'Neill said. "Two wins this weekend would be a huge boost for the team and a major help for the conference standings."

Head coach Noreen Herlihy expressed the importance of the upcoming games this weekend.

"These are two PSAC games, and each one is significant," Herlihy said. "We're happy to be back at home, after having almost the entire month of September on the road.  It will be good for the girls to be back to comfortable surroundings."