SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Despite having the majority of possession and peppering No. 23 Slippery Rock's goal with 13 shots, the Gannon University women's soccer team lost Wednesday's away match to the Rock, 3-0. The Golden Knights held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks and were only outdone by Slippery Rock's counterattacking style and a goal in the 15^th minute by Sydney Patrick that allowed the team to play with the lead and absorb much of Gannon's offensive pressure.
 
The Rock almost scored a goal even earlier on a counterattack, when a cross from the right wing was swung in to Julia Masaro and a one-on-one chance with Knights keeper Kennedy Solymosi (Eastlake, Ohio/Lake Catholic) was created. Solymosi made the critical save to keep the game scoreless (one of her five saves in the game on 12 shots faced), and Gannon almost took the lead just a minute later, when Taylor Lewis (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) found space to shoot but rattled the ball off the top of the woodwork and did not get a fortuitous bounce into the goal.
 
The aforementioned goal from Slippery Rock's Sydney Patrick came in the 15^th minute against the run of play. She received a diagonal ball from the midfield got free down the right side into the box, but took the shot from an extremely difficult angle and placed the ball in the top left corner of the goal to make it 1-0.
 
Gannon again came close to scoring in the 21^st minute when Kayla Bevacqua (Welland, Ontario/Notre Dame) launched a long-range effort that again found the crossbar instead of the back of the net. In the 35^th minute, some quick passing from the Knights broke down the Rock's defense and allowed substitute Logan Nicklas (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) a great look at goal from the center of the box, but Slippery Rock keeper Emma Yoder leaped up and was just able push the shot over the goal to deny the equalizer.
 
Gannon earned seven first-half corner kicks to Slippery Rock's zero, and—until late in the game—the story of the second half was similar to the first, with Gannon on the attack and Slippery Rock biding its time on the counterattack. The Golden Knights' best chance of the second half came in the 81^st minute, when a Bevacqua cross was whipped in to Lewis' head and directed toward the far post. Nicklas was in the path of the ball and was able to redirect it with her hip towards the near post, but Yoder again made a diving save to keep the clean sheet intact for the Rock, who finally got an insurance goal in the 83^rd minute. Katy Ericson charged into the box, taking another shot from an almost impossible angle that deflected off the far post and right back to Megan Sikora, who booted it home to make it 2-0. Sikora scored again in the 87^th minute on a powerful shot from right in front of goal to increase the lead to three goals.
 
The Golden Knights return home to McConnell Family Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 9 at 5:00 p.m. to face Pitt-Johnstown.