Walk Up vs. Slippery Rock
Mike Gallagher

Women's Soccer Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Match Preview: Gannon Looks to Continue Momentum with Saturday Match at California (Pa.)

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (9-2-1, 9-1-0 PSAC West) at CALIFORNIA (PA) VULCANS (2-7-2, 1-6-2 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 14, 2023 | 12 noon
STADIUM/LOCATION: Phillipsburg Soccer Facility l California, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
 
 
THE GANNON-CALIFORNIA (PA) SERIES
Gannon leads 20-12-1
Gannon swept the season series in 2022 with a 2-1 at home and a 3-1 victory at Cal, then edged the Vulcans 2-1 on Sept. 23. The Golden Knights are 10-0-1 in the last 11 meetings and have won the last five contests with the Vulcans.

Last Meeting: Sept. 23, 2023 – at Gannon 2, California (Pa.) 1 | RECAP
Despite a dominating effort the Golden Knights edged Cal 2-1 at McConnell Family Stadium in the first meeting between the two teams. Gannon jumped out to a 2-0 lead with an unassisted goal by Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) in the 15th minute and Paige Taylor's (Robina, Australia/Emmanuel College) first goal in the 74th minute, assisted by Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler). The Vulcans made things interesting when they cut the lead in half with five minutes remaining. Gannon held a 36-4 advantage in shots.


ERIE, Pa. – Gannon looks for a third straight season sweep against California (Pa.) when the Golden Knights head to Phillipsburg Soccer Facility on Saturday, October 14. The match gets underway at 12 noon. The Cal match begins a stretch where four of the next five matches are on the road.

The Golden Knights improved to 9-2-1 overall and 9-1-0 in the PSAC West on Wednesday with 4-0 shutout of local rival Edinboro. Head coach Colin Petersen's team has now won seven straight matches since a 4-2 loss to Mercyhurst on September 16. They'll have a chance to avenge that loss on Saturday, October 21 but must first handle a Vulcans' team that comes in at 2-7-2 and 1-6-2 in the PSAC West.

Cal also last played against Edinboro, dropping a 3-0 decision at Edinboro last Saturday. The Vulcans look to snap a six-game stretch that has seen them go 0-5-1 with back-to-back losses coming in. Gannon claimed the first meeting of the season by a 2-1 margin in a match that was not as close as the final score indicated.   

Petersen has relied on a combination of experience and youth. A strong freshmen class has contributed to the Golden Knights scoring 36 goals, an average of 3.0 pre game. Both figures rank second in the PSAC. An improving defense has shut out three of the last four opponents.  
 

Last Time Out
Gannon hosted Edinboro on Wednesday in a meeting of local rivals. The Golden Knights grabbed a 1-0 halftime lead thanks to a goal by Ella Fadale (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) in the 17th minute, assisted by Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane). The game changed in the first minute of the second half as Fadale scored her second goal just 37 seconds into the period. Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) made it 3-0 with a goal at 58:59, with Respecki picking up her second assist of the match, and Jamie Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) fired a shot into the back of the net for a 4-0 lead just over a minute later. Fadale and Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell) assisted on the goal. Gannon held a 27-9 advantage in shots as Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) picked up her third shutout in goal.  

Head Coach: Former Gannon soccer great Colin Petersen is in his 24th season with the Gannon soccer program and 22nd as the head coach of the women's soccer program in 2023. Petersen, who has also spent time in a dual position as an assistant for the men's program, was hired as the seventh head coach in the history of the women's program on February 13, 2002. Petersen is the winningest and longest-tenured coach in the 36-year history of the Gannon women's soccer program. He was inducted into the Gannon Athletics Hall of Fame as a player in 2017. Petersen has a school-record 195 career coaching victories, holding more than 100 wins than the closest coach. Petersen owns an overall record of 197-159-37. Gannon has produced a .500 record or better during 14 of the last 15 seasons under Petersen. The Golden Knights have qualified for the PSAC Tournament 11 times in Petersen's tenure, with six NCAA Tournament appearances.

Bermudez Named PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week
The season got off to a slow start for Leah Bermudez (Milton, Ontario/Jean Vanier Catholic) as an injury forced the graduate student to miss the first four games of the season. An All-PSAC West selection a year ago, Bermudez was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week after leading the Golden Knights to a pair of wins last week. It marks the second time she has been named the PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week in her career. Bermudez finished the week with a goal and an assist en route to helping Gannon extend its winning streak to six matches with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Indiana (Pa.) and a 3-0 win over Pitt-Johnstown. She scored Gannon's first goal at IUP, then assisted on the game-winning goal. Last Saturday, her defensive efforts helped Gannon record its third shutout of the season.

Respecki Continues to Accumulate Among Strong Freshman Class
Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) has now accounted for a point in 11 of 12 matches this season. The Mercyhurst contest is the only game this year that the freshman has not had either a goal or an assist. Respecki leads the PSAC in goals with eight and points with 23 while ranking third in assists with seven. Fellow first-year performer Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell) adds six goals and two assists for 14 points, while Ella Fadale (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) boosted her totals to six goals and an assist with two goals and an assist on Wednesday vs. Edinboro. Fadale, a sophomore, was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year last season. All told freshmen have accounted for 18 of 36 goals as head coach Colin Petersen continues to reap the benefits of a strong recruiting class.  

Scouting California (Pa.)
California (Pa.) owns a 2-7-2 record and is 1-6-2 in PSAC West action. The Vulcans look to snap two-game losing streak and are 0-5-1 over their last six matches since posting a 1-0 win at Clarion at September 16. Cal has been solid defensively but has scored just seven goals this season while being shut out five times. They have not scored more than a goal since a 2-1 win over Lock Haven in the season opener. Logan Bromiley and Lorina Romeis pace the Vulcans with two goals and an assist each. Emily Ouimet has a 1.76 GAA with 59 saves in goal.

Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon plays its second straight road match on Saturday, October 21 with a showdown at Mercyhurst. The Golden Knights were picked to finish first in the PSAC West and Mercyhurst second, but the Lakers gained the upper hand with a 4-2 win in the first meeting on September 16. Mercyhurst currently holds a three-point lead over the Golden Knights. The match gets underway at 7:30 p.m. on the Mercyhurst campus. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Leah Bermudez

#2 Leah Bermudez

D
5' 4"
Graduate Student
Psychology
Gabby Boden

#11 Gabby Boden

M/F
5' 7"
Junior
Ella Fadale

#17 Ella Fadale

M
5' 6"
Sophomore
Jamie Seneca

#12 Jamie Seneca

M
5' 5"
Junior
Morgan Sinan

#0 Morgan Sinan

GK
5' 7"
Senior
Cybersecurity
Brooklyn Respecki

#7 Brooklyn Respecki

F
5' 3"
Freshman
Exercise Science
Grace Emanuel

#24 Grace Emanuel

M
5' 3"
Freshman
Paige Taylor

#9 Paige Taylor

M
5' 5"
Junior
Health Science

Players Mentioned

Leah Bermudez

#2 Leah Bermudez

5' 4"
Graduate Student
Psychology
D
Gabby Boden

#11 Gabby Boden

5' 7"
Junior
M/F
Ella Fadale

#17 Ella Fadale

5' 6"
Sophomore
M
Jamie Seneca

#12 Jamie Seneca

5' 5"
Junior
M
Morgan Sinan

#0 Morgan Sinan

5' 7"
Senior
Cybersecurity
GK
Brooklyn Respecki

#7 Brooklyn Respecki

5' 3"
Freshman
Exercise Science
F
Grace Emanuel

#24 Grace Emanuel

5' 3"
Freshman
M
Paige Taylor

#9 Paige Taylor

5' 5"
Junior
Health Science
M