CALIFORNIA, PA – As the Gannon University women's soccer team enters the final week of the regular season, it's in prime position to achieve a big goal.
Coach
Colin Petersen's Golden Knights moved alone into first place in the PSAC West on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 road victory against California University of Pennsylvania.
Having already secured a PSAC playoff berth secure, Gannon now has a good shot at winning the regular-season title and clinching the top playoff seed in the PSAC's Western Division.
Gannon (10-2-4 overall) improved to 9-1-4 in the PSAC West with 31 points in the standings. Later Saturday, IUP claimed a 2-1 win over second-place Mercyhurst (8-3-4, 28 points).
Gannon, which has two games remaining, will host Mercyhurst on Wednesday and Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday. If the Knights get a win or tie against either of those teams, they will secure first place and the top PSAC West playoff seed. Mercyhurst will play its regular-season finale against Gannon.
On Saturday, a familiar scoring duo struck for Gannon on the game's first goal. Sophomore midfielder
Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) found senior forward
Sarah Fails (Girard, Pa./Villa Maria) with a nice pass, and Fails broke away to score her team-high ninth goal. Boden recorded the assist. It was third time this month that combination had connected for a goal.
Later in the half, Gannon took a 2-0 lead when freshman forward
Holly Gray (Gold Coast, Australia) scored on a header off a corner kick by forward
Sammie Dales (Conneautville, Pa./Homeschool). It was Gray's second goal of the season as Dales got the assist.
Cal scored later in the first half on a breakaway by Lindsie Galbreath to make it 2-1 going into halftime.
Gannon's defense took over from there, holding the fifth-place Vulcans scoreless in the second half.
Boden capped the scoring when she hooked a corner kick into the goal with just over 2 minutes remaining. It was her third goal of the year as she finished the game with a goal and an assist.
The Golden Knights' defense proved very stout. Gannon outshot Cal 18-4 and finished with a 9-2 advantage in shots on goals.
Kennedy Solymosi (Eastlake, Ohio/Lake Catholic) started in goal and played the first 64-plus minutes, allowing the Cal goal on the only shot on goal she faced.
Jordan August (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown) played the final 25 minutes in goal and made one save.
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