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

Game Preview: Golden Knights Begin PSAC West Action at Local Rival Edinboro

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (0-1-1, 0-0-0 PSAC West) at EDINBORO FIGHTING SCOTS (0-1-1, 0-0-0 PSAC West
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, September 6, 2023 | 6:00 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: Sox Harrison Stadium l Edinboro, Pa.
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THE GANNON-EDINBORO SERIES
Gannon leads 20-8-5
The Golden Knights have won the last five meetings, four by shutout, and owns an 8-0-2 record in the last ten meetings. A year ago Gannon won 3-0 at McConnell Family Stadium then came back for a 2-0 triumph at Edinboro.

Last Meeting: Oct. 12, 2022 – Gannon 2, Edinboro 0 | RECAP
Gannon dominated the contest statistically with 18 shots to seven for the Fighting Scots, scoring once in each half to sweep the season series. Holy Gray opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at the 34:57 mark, and Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) added an insurance goal at 65:50, assisted by Logan Nicklas (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) and Sarah Fails (Girard, Pa./Villa Maria). Kennedy Solymosi (Eastlake, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and Jordan August (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown) combined for the shutout in goal.

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's soccer team opens PSAC West action on Wednesday, September 6 with a short trip down I-79 to face local rival Edinboro. The match gets underway at 6 p.m. at Sox Harrison Stadium.

The Golden Knights came away with a tie and a loss while facing two of the top teams out of the Mountain East Conference to start the season. Hosting the Gannon Invitational, the season got underway last Thursday with a 2-2 tie against MEC Southern Division preseason favorite Concord.

Already shorthanded, an early red card left the Golden Knights further depleted against Charleston (WV). The two teams were tied at one-apiece early in the second half before Charleston scored three times against a tiring Golden Knight squad. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish third in the MEC Southern Division.

Gannon was chosen as the preseason favorite in the PSAC West after ending 2022 with a 15-4-4 record and claiming first place in the PSAC West with an 11-1-4 ledger. The Golden Knights advanced to the PSAC Championship match before falling short of its first conference crown against West Chester.
They went on to host a four-team pod of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, defeating Fairmont State in a downpour in their opening game, 3-0, before Kutztown ended their season. The 15 wins were the second-highest in school history.

Edinboro was picked to finish seventh in the Western Division in the preseason poll following an uncharacteristic 2-9-7 finish a year ago. Like Gannon, the Fighting Scots come in at 0-1-1 following a 2-2 tie vs. Notre Dame (Ohio) and a 1-0 loss at Malone. Long-time head coach Gary Kagiavas is a former standout at Gannon and also served as an assistant coach. He owns a 231-185-41 career record and has led the Fighting Scots to the PSAC Tournament 12 times.

Last Time Out
Gannon opened the season last weekend hosting the Gannon Invitational on Thursday. The Golden Knights squared off against two of the top teams from the Mountain East Conference. They played to a 2-2 tie with MEC preseason favorite Concord in the opener on Thursday before suffering a 4-1 loss to Charleston (WV) on Saturday. The Golden Eagles were picked third in the Southern Division. Freshmen accounted for Gannon's two goals vs. Concord. Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) tied the match at 1-1 with a goal in the 67th minute after Concord had scored less than eight minutes into the contest. Hannah Shepard (Erie, Pa./Mcdowell) gave Gannon a 2-1 lead with her first career goal on a free kick at the 82:00 mark. The Mountain Lions countered with the tying goal 45 seconds later. Already playing shorthanded due to several injuries, Gannon fell to Charleston on Saturday while playing a man down for almost 78 minutes due to a red card. For the second match in a row they fell behind following a goal in the first eight minutes, but Ella Fadale's (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) first goal of the season tied the match at 1-1 early in the second half. Charleston took the lead on a penalty kick in the 54th minute and scored two more goals three minutes apart in the final 14 minutes. Even still the Golden Knights held a 15-12 advantage in shots.    

Head Coach: Colin Petersen was inducted into the Gannon Athletics Hall of Fame as a player in 2017 after an outstanding four-year career in the mid-1990s. As a head coach, he has achieved even more, compiling 188 wins in 22 seasons while becoming the women's soccer program's all-time winningest coach by a wide margin. The Golden Knights have had a winning record in 14 of the past 15 seasons and have piled up a 27-8-7 record in the past two years heading into 2023.

Seven Starters Return
Gannon must make up for some heavy graduation losses, but at the same time head coach Colin Petersen enters his 24th season with a solid core of players to build from with seven starters returning, along with goalkeepers Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) and Jordan August (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown). The duo split time in goal early in the year before Kennedy Solymosi (Eastlake, Ohio/Lake Catholic) took over. August had a 0.40 GAA in six matches while Sinan was at 0.45 over five contests. The defense and midfield combined to allow just 19 goals. Three All-PSAC West performers return from those units including bruising defender Leah Bermudez (Milton, Ontario/Jean Vanier Catholic) who returns as a graduate student. She is a two-time all-conference honoree after earning first team accolades last year. Bermudez also scored four goals. Unfortunately she was not available this past weekend. Midfielders Ella Fadale (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) and Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) also earned All-PSAC West honors, with Fadale named to the first team and also voted the PSAC West Freshman of the Year, while Boden was a second team pick. Fadale finished with eight goals and a pair of assists for 18 points and Boden also garnered 18 points on four goals and a team-high 10 assists.

Next for the Golden Knights
The Edinboro match begins a stretch where the Golden Knights play three of their next four games on the road. A road tilt at Pitt-Johnstown is up next on Saturday, September 9, with the start set for 2:00 p.m. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Sarah Fails

#7 Sarah Fails

F
5' 4"
Senior
Early Childhood Education
Kennedy Solymosi

#21 Kennedy Solymosi

GK
5' 3"
Graduate Student
Physician Assistant
Jordan August

#1 Jordan August

GK
5' 8"
Graduate Student
Physical Therapy
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
Logan Nicklas

#29 Logan Nicklas

F
5' 7"
Senior
Applied Exercise Science
Morgan Sinan

#0 Morgan Sinan

GK
5' 7"
Senior
Cybersecurity
Hannah Shepard

#3 Hannah Shepard

D
5' 9"
Freshman
Brooklyn Respecki

#7 Brooklyn Respecki

F
5' 3"
Freshman
Exercise Science

Players Mentioned

Sarah Fails

#7 Sarah Fails

5' 4"
Senior
Early Childhood Education
F
Kennedy Solymosi

#21 Kennedy Solymosi

5' 3"
Graduate Student
Physician Assistant
GK
Jordan August

#1 Jordan August

5' 8"
Graduate Student
Physical Therapy
GK
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
Logan Nicklas

#29 Logan Nicklas

5' 7"
Senior
Applied Exercise Science
F
Morgan Sinan

#0 Morgan Sinan

5' 7"
Senior
Cybersecurity
GK
Hannah Shepard

#3 Hannah Shepard

5' 9"
Freshman
D
Brooklyn Respecki

#7 Brooklyn Respecki

5' 3"
Freshman
Exercise Science
F