Stephens' Goals Lead Royals To Victory
SCRANTON, Pa. - Sophomore Beth Stephens (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) scored a pair of goals to lead The University of Scranton to a 2-0 victory over Susquehanna University in the Landmark Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Fitzpatrick Field.
Stephens, who has scored four goals in her last two matches, put the Royals ahead for good by taking a cross by junior forward Kristi Cordier (Skillman, N.J./Montgomery Township) from the right side line and tapping in a shot for a goal at the 10:01 mark. Late in the second-half, Stephens scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season by deflecting a direct kick off a Crusader defender into the back of the net.
With the win, the Royals improved to 3-5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Landmark Conference. Susquehanna, which received an 8-save performance by junior goalie Meredith Tompeck (Randolph, N.J./Randolph), fell to 5-3 overall and 0-1 in league play. Defensively, the Royals allowed only one shot-on-goal to help senior goalie Jackie Colley (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) post her first shutout of the year and 17th of her career.
Despite being shut down on the offensive end throughout much of the match, the Crusaders had an opportunity to forge a tie late in the second-half. From 45 yards out on a direct kick, sophomore midfielder Megan Casey (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) blasted a shot from the center of the field that nearly caught the top of the net.
Scranton will open a three-match road trip this Monday, September 24, against the Cougars of Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, beginning at 7:00 p.m.