The Gannon women's soccer team protected its first-place position in the PSAC West on Wednesday afternoon.
In the process, the Golden Knights moved closer to clinching a playoff berth as the regular season winds down.
Holly Gray (Gold Coast, Australia) scored in the first half and
Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) scored in the second as Gannon beat Edinboro 2-0 at McConnell Family Stadium.
Gannon improved to 9-2-3 overall and 8-1-3 in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights now have 27 points in the Western Division standings and own a two-point lead over Mercyhurst (7-1-4, 25 points), which beat Pitt-Johnstown 6-0 on Wednesday. The top four teams in the standings make the PSAC playoffs.
Edinboro dropped to 1-7-5 overall and 1-6-5 in the PSAC West.
The game was scoreless until the 34:57 mark of the first half when Gannon's
Sarah Fails (Girard, Pa./Villa Maria) took a pass from Gray to the left side of the box. Fails struck a crossing pass that was deflected in front by an Edinboro defender.
Gray, a freshman, gathered the loose ball in front and booted the ball past a sliding Fighting Scots defender and past the goalie into the right side of the goal. It was Gray's first goal of the season and her Gannon career.
The score remained 1-0 until the 65:50 mark when Boden took a beautiful pass from
Logan Nicklas (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) and lunged while kicking the ball into the left side of the goal.
Assists on the play were credited to Nicklas and Fails, who started the play by making a run down the left side and feeding Nicklas, who in turn passed to Boden.
The goal was Boden's second of the season. Fails and Nicklas are tied for the team lead with four assists apiece. Fails has a team-best 18 points.
Gannon goalies
Kennedy Solymosi (Eastlake, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and
Jordan August (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown) combined for the shutout. Solymosi played the first 59 minutes and made two saves while improving to 6-2-3. August played the final 31 but did not face a shot on goal.
The Golden Knights outshot the Scots 18-8 and led 8-2 in shots on goal.
Gannon, which has just four regular-season games remaining, will visit Seton Hill in Greensburg on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Â