Great efforts from seniors Kelsey Brasher and Erin Koch helped the women’s soccer team to a 3-1 statement win over Bucknell in their first Patriot League match.
Two first-half goals by Brasher and sophomore Patricia Bailey led to a commanding first half, with senior Erin Stebbins’ conversion on a penalty kick in the second half solidified the AU victory. Not to be overlooked was the Eagles’ stingy defense, whose only blemish was a second-half penalty kick goal by Bison Caitlin Holtz.
“I thought it was a great team effort,” AU Head Coach David Bucciero said after the game. “The attitude, the energy and the concentration from the get go, all the way through, was absolutely on high and I think this team was rewarded for it.”
AU, who is now 6-6 on the season, got off to a blazing start in the first half, pressuring and attacking the Bison defense early. This energy quickly translated to a goal, as Koch crossed the ball to junior Brooke Sheppard, who artfully tapped it to Brasher for her fifth goal of the season. Shortly after, senior Kelly McLaughlin’s perfect positioning saved a Bucknell goal and kept the momentum in AU’s favor.
One first-half goal was not enough for the Eagles, as another brilliant pass by Koch led to a header goal by Bailey. The sophomore midfielder redirected Koch’s cross past helpless Bucknell keeper Kathryn Sutton to double AU’s lead entering half time.
But coming out for the second half, it was clear that the Bison of Bucknell (5-6-1, 0-1) wouldn’t go down without a fight. After an AU penalty in the 57th minute, Bucknell’s Caitlin Holtz calmly fired her penalty kick to sophomore goalkeeper Arianna Efstathiou’s right for the goal. The goal was one of the few flaws in Efstathiou’s otherwise stunning performance; the sophomore anchored the AU defense all day and finished the match with four saves.
Less than ten minutes later, the Eagles responded to Bucknell’s penalty kick goal with one of their own, as senior Erin Stebbins scored her first of the season and all but clinched an AU win.
“You need to give a different type of effort in a Patriot league game than any other game,” Koch said. “This definitely was a good all-around team win.”
This well-earned win against Bucknell showed AU fans, as well as Patriot league competition, just how good the Eagles look when firing on all cylinders. The team will most likely use the victory to set the tone for the remainder of the season and propel AU to a strong conference record.
“I am thrilled for our players — they really deserved this,” Bucciero said. “The energy, effort and concentration was there today from all 28 players, and we needed that in order to beat a great team like Bucknell. We will take the next 24 hours to enjoy this one, and then get ready for a tough match against Princeton.”
The Eagles will finish off their non-conference schedule tonight in New Jersey against the Princeton Tigers. AU will return home this Friday, Oct. 9th to face off against Holy Cross in another important league match.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
