10/12/21

The Bloomsburg University Mens and Womens soccer teams celebrated their senior day before hosting Lock Haven at Steph Petit Stadium on Saturday.

The Men’s team started the festivities by honoring their 10 graduating seniors before the game: Nick Bazadona (Kingston, Pa.), Terrence Edwards (North Ridgeville, Ohio), Bryce Evans (Schnecksville, Pa.), Salvatore Ficarotta (Yardley, Pa.), Haley Fiske (Pacifica, Calif.), Kacper Grycel (Allentown, Pa.), Liam Harmon (Bloomsburg, Pa.), Nathan Slotnick (Yardley, Pa.), Harry Taylor (Sheffield, England), and Olly Whitham (Clitheroe, Lancashire, England).

Coach Bassett had high praise when asked about his group of seniors, saying, “This is collectively an incredible group of young men. They have selfless leadership and resilience with the coaching chance. They’ve established a fantastic culture that I hope to build upon.”

The Huskies faced a strong Lock Haven team, who was 7-2-2 coming into the contest. The game proved to be a battle, with both teams registering shots on goal early. Lock Haven broke the scoreless game open in the 37^th minute with a goal off a corner kick. Patrick Walsh (Macungie, Pa.) had an equalizer attempt late in the half, but the shot went wide. The Huskies went into the half looking to overcome a 1-0 deficit, something they’ve done before.

The Bald Eagles doubled their lead in the early minutes of the second half. The Huskies would retaliate a few minutes later when Terrence Edwards turned in a shot off an Olly Whitham corner kick. The goal was Edwards’ second of the season.

The game intensity picked up, with both teams fighting hard to maintain possession of the ball. Lock Haven would add a third goal in the 69^th minute to push the lead back to two goals. The Huskies attempted to score late in the game but were unsuccessful. With the 3-0 loss, the Huskies fell to 9-6 on the season.

The Womens senior day festivities followed, with the team celebrating several seniors: Kimmy Bucher (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown), Emily Clauss (Scranton, Pa.), Keira Flanagan (Holland, Pa), Helen Flynn (Allentown, Pa.), Natalie Holmes (Laurel, Md.), Kate Schlotter (Fountainville, Pa.), and Nicole Varano (Mt. Carmel, Pa.).

The scoring started early for the Huskies when Flynn found a loose ball and scored a chip-shot goal in the 11^th minute. They quickly doubled their lead in the 20^th minute when sophomore Lauren Bull (Bloomburg, Pa.)  turned in a cross from senior Paige Harris (Danville, Pa.). The goal was Bell’s third in as many games.

The Huskies lead quickly extended to three goals when Holmes drilled a penalty kick in the 21^st minute. The goal was her fifth of the year. The Huskies maintained the 3-0 lead heading into halftime.

The second half proved to be just as dominating for the Huskies. Flynn added a second goal for the Huskies in the 52^nd minute when she redirected a cross.

Lock Haven was able to find the back of the net in the 77^th minute. The Bald Eagles were shut down for most of the day, registering only 2 shots on goal.

The final goal of the game came in the 84^th minute when Keira Flanagan turned in a cross from Emily Clauss. The Huskies won 5-1 to improve to 11-3-1 and extend their win streak to six games. They out-shot Lock Haven 19-2 on the day.

When asked about what the day meant to her, Clauss said, “After losing our junior season, the other seniors and I cherish every moment we have left. While it was nice to celebrate our time here, another well-fought win is exactly what we hoped for.”