Jessie Watkins and Brooklyn Respecki
Jeff Kirik
3
Winner Gannon GAN (1-0-0, 0-0-0)
0
Charleston (WV) CHA (0-1-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Gannon GAN
(1-0-0, 0-0-0)
3
Final
0
Charleston (WV) CHA
(0-1-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Gannon GAN 1 2 3
Charleston (WV) CHA 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Taylor Brown, Associate Director of Sports Information & Media Relations

No. 10 Women’s Soccer Dominates Season Opener with 3-0 Shutout at Charleston

Respecki, Watkins, and Shepard all tally a goal en route to the season-opening win

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The 10th-ranked Gannon women's soccer team started its 2025 campaign in dominating style, earning a 3-0 shutout at Charleston in Thursday's season opener.

Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane), Jessie Watkins (Bowie, Md./Bowie), and Hannah Shepard (Erie, Pa./McDowell) provided the goals as the Golden Knights controlled possession and limited the Golden Eagles to just two shots on target.


THE GAME FACTS

  • Final Score: Gannon 3, Charleston (WV) 0
  • Records: Gannon 1-0, Charleston 0-1
  • Location: Welch Athletic Complex (Charleston, W.Va.)
  • Date: September 4, 2025

THE KNIGHT CAP
  • Nationally Ranked Start: No. 10 Gannon opened the year with a decisive win, improving to 1-0 behind a balanced scoring effort.
  • Shot Disparity: The Golden Knights fired 25 total shots (11 on target) compared to Charleston's 5 (2 on target).
  • Respecki Strikes First: The junior forward netted the opener in the 24th minute and paced the attack with five shots.
  • Watkins Delivers: Jessie Watkins (Bowie, Md./Bowie), last year's PSAC West Freshman of the Year, scored in the 48th minute off a feed from Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell), putting all three of her shots on target.
  • Shepard Adds Insurance: Junior defender Hannah Shepard (Erie, Pa./McDowell) capped the scoring with a 67th-minute goal.
  • Veteran Defense Shines: The back line, led by juniors Hannah Shepard (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and Victoria Wheeler (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) along with seniors Maddy Endler (Salem, Ore./West Salem) and PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year Destinee Robertson (Lacey, Washington/Timberline), limited Charleston to just five total shots and two on target.
  • Possession Control: Gannon held 59% of the ball, dictating the tempo throughout both halves.
  • Clean Sheet in Goal: Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) made two saves over 85 minutes before Abigail Niebauer (Denver, Colo./East) closed out the combined clean sheet.

UP NEXT
The Golden Knights continue their road swing on Saturday, September 6, visiting Concord at Callaghan Stadium in Athens, W.Va. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

This story was written using the support of AI.

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