Sept. 1: Away vs. Swarthmore College

The Pacers kicked off their campaign by traveling to Swarthmore College. From the opening whistle, Swarthmore dominated the game, getting four shots off in the first 10 minutes. The Pacers were able to hold them off the board until the 11th minute when freshman forward Ava Gizzie netted the opening goal. It wasn’t long before Gizzie’s teammates netted their own goals, with junior forward Marea Lee and sophomore defender Eloise Franz collecting first-half goals. At the halftime break, the Pacers trailed 3-0.

The second half began and the Pacers had a great opportunity to get on the board when they earned a penalty kick. Sophomore defender Carly Walters drilled the penalty, narrowing the lead. Swarthmore dominated the possession for the majority of the first 20 minutes, being held off from scoring until freshman forward Lauren Lior scored in the 63rd minute. Lior quickly struck again, scoring her second goal in three minutes. The Pacers held off the scoring onslaught for a few minutes, before sophomore midfielder Macie Mangini extended the lead, with the Pacers dropping their first match 6-1.

The Pacers struggled to get on the attack, attempting only five shots, putting three on target. Swarthmore fired off 32 shots, with 14 landing on target. The Pacers rolled out three different goalies, who combined for eight saves in the effort.

Sept. 6: Home vs. University of Scranton

The Pacers returned to Scranton to host their crosstown rivals, the University of Scranton Royals. In a blink of an eye, the Royals were ahead, when senior forward Niamh Healy drilled the back of the net in the 21st second of the match. After a few failed Royals scoring opportunities, senior forward Emily Tantala doubled the lead. After a flurry of changed possessions, the Pacers went on the attack, ending when junior forward Riley Mulherin finished the opportunity set up by graduate midfielder Kate Kollar-Dye. Scranton dominated the remainder of the half, although failing to convert a goal, and took the 2-1 lead into the half.

The half opened with a pair of failed shots for the Royals, and then senior midfielder Mary Haggerty produced another goal. For a large chunk of the second half, the scoring went stagnant as both the Pacers and Royals struggled to net a goal. In the 77th minute, Tantala was able to strike again, extending the lead to 4-1. The Pacers could not surmount that lead, collecting their second loss of the young season.

Junior goalkeeper Victoria Talarico participated in her first match of the season, collecting seven saves.

Sept. 9: Home vs. Eastern University

Still searching for their opening victory, the Pacers hosted the Eastern University Eagles. The match began with plenty of possession changes before the Pacers were able to take their first lead of the season behind a Mulherin goal. Despite the Pacers having multiple opportunities to extend their early lead, the Eagles held off Marywood and went into the half trailing 1-0.

Both teams had scoring chances early in the second half but fell short. Marywood was able to extend the lead in the 60th minute when Kollar-Dye set up senior midfielder Josephine Sorce for the scoring chance. The Pacers drew close to adding another goal but were unable to capitalize. The Pacers ultimately widened their lead with Sorce drilling her second goal, this time being set up by junior midfielder Emily Welsh. The Eagles fired off a pair of shots, but didn’t find the back of the net, giving the Pacers their first victory of the season.

In her second consecutive start, Talerico kept a clean sheet, collecting a save.

Sept. 13: Home vs. Franklin and Marshall College

Following their first victory, the Pacers looked to build a streak as they faced the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats. From the opening kickoff, it was all Diplomats, who didn’t waste time getting on the board, with senior forward Alison Francis scoring in the 6th minute. Francis struck again shortly after, before setting up freshman defender Colleen Ferrarese to extend the lead to 3-0. The Pacers held off the scoring for most of the remainder of the first half before sophomore midfielder Zoe Warne scored seconds before the end of the half.

Both teams’ offenses were silent to open the half, until Francis collected a hat trick in the 57th minute. It only took a minute and a half before the visitors tallied another goal, thanks to senior forward Bri Skidmore. The Diplomats produced numerous opportunities throughout the remainder of the half but failed to score again. As the 90th minute came, the Pacers remained scoreless for the second time this season, losing 6-0.

Despite allowing six goals, sophomore goalkeeper Mila Elash made 10 saves in her second start of the season.

Sept. 16: Away vs. FDU-Florham

Heading back on the road, the Pacers traveled to Madison, N.J. to square off against the Devils. The Devils struck in the opening fifteen seconds, behind the foot of junior forward Madison Kleinwaks. The Pacers answered with twin power, when sophomore forward Caroline Walters set up her sister Carly Walters for the equalizer. Marywood captured the lead, with sophomore defender Sarah Kretchmer assisting sophomore midfielder Isabel Shore for the goal. The lead was short-lived, as 50 seconds later, junior forward Ashley Dietrich tied the match. The Pacers and Devils each had multiple scoring chances for the remainder of the first half, with neither converting.

Similarly to the end of the first half, there was a scoring dry spell, despite both squads having a plethora of opportunities. It wasn’t until the 81st minute that the deadlock was no more, with senior Devils defender Amanda Martinho scoring her first goal of the season. The final nine minutes were chippy, with three yellow cards and a red card dealt out.

Elash saved three of the Devils’ seven shots on goal.

Sept. 20 Away vs. Kean University

Trying to recover from the heartbreaking loss, the Pacers were set to face the Cougars of Kean University. A common theme occurred, as the Pacers allowed an early goal when junior Cougar midfielder Sonya Brewer scored less than 95 seconds into the match. Both teams had stretches of firing off consecutive shots but left the score unchanged. The Pacers went into the halftime break trailing 1-0.

Kean University opened the half by earning a pair of corner kicks, though they could not add to the lead. Mulherin fired off a pair of shots, missing wide on the first before drilling the second, evening the score. The Cougars had the Pacers backed into their third of the field, being denied on a pair of scoring opportunities. Marywood broke down the field, with Caroline Walters bagging her first goal of the season. The Pacers had chances to extend their lead, earning a trifecta of corners. The Cougars flipped the field, with Brewer finishing the break with the equalizing goal. The Pacers had a last-ditch chance to take the lead, but Sorce’s shot went wide of the net, leading to a draw.

Elash produced another solid performance, coming up with six saves.

Sept. 23: Home vs. Alvernia University

Returning home, the Pacers were desperate as they faced the Alvernia University Golden Wolves. Following an early missed opportunity by Alvernia, the Pacers produced an onslaught of shots, but didn’t connect. It took until the 18th minute for the score to change when Sorce set up Mulherin to put the Pacers ahead. The Pacers had two more opportunities to double the lead but were denied. The Golden Wolves counterattacked, ending in a goal by sophomore forward Haley Dougherty. The Pacers dominated the remainder of the half, though they did not score. As the clock wound down, Dougherty ripped another shot, finding the back of the net and giving the Golden Wolves a 2-1 lead.

In the second half, the Pacers and Golden Wolves both fired off shots, coming up unsuccessful in their efforts to score. In the 62nd minute, Mulherin returned the favor to Sorce, as the Pacers tied the match. Alvernia then went on the attack, taking four shots, missing each time. The Pacers grabbed the lead when Sorce set up Caroline Plank for a goal. Marywood dominated possession for the next 10 minutes, earning a free kick in the 84th minute. Sorce stepped up for the kick and ripped a laser that deflected off a Golden Wolf into the net, extending a lead that Marywood would not relinquish, winning the game 4-2.

Elash denied four Golden Wolves’ shots in her fourth straight start.

Sept. 27: Away vs. Wilkes University

The Pacers hopped on Interstate 81 to face off against the Wilkes University Colonels. The Colonels owned the first half, firing off shot after shot, though unsuccessful in scoring. The Pacers conceded a corner kick, leading to a goal from junior defender Madison Straub. The first half expired with the score at 1-0.

Wilkes opened the second half, ripping two more unsuccessful shots before the Pacers earned a pair of corners. The first led to an offsides call before the second yielded a goal scored by Mulherin. The Colonels commanded possession, ripping shots until sophomore forward Taylor Anthony netted the go-ahead goal. Marywood didn’t get another scoring opportunity, falling to Wilkes 2-1.

Elash put together another solid performance, making seven saves in the loss.

Sept. 30: Away vs. SUNY Canton

The Pacers entered their matchup with SUNY Canton winless on the road. The Pacers and the Roos opened the match by ripping shots. Neither team connected until sophomore forward Shannon Platt netted the opening goal. It wasn’t long until the Pacers evened the score, with Kretchmer draining a penalty kick. The Pacers remained on the attack with Mulherin and Caroline Walters taking shots and missing, before Walters set up Mulherin to score the go-ahead goal. Only a few minutes passed before Walters set up Mulherin again. Marywood finished the half dominating possession, going into the half 3-1.

In the second half, the Pacers struck early, with the Mulherin-Walters connection netting its third assisted goal, with Walters doing the scoring this time. Marywood continued to dominate, staying in the attacking third for the majority of the second half. As the final minute came, Mulherin earned a hat trick, this time on a Sorce assist. The final whistle blew and the Pacers were victorious by 5-1.

For the Month

The Pacers finished September 3-5-1. Mulherin ended the month with eight goals, which already surpasses her previous season highs of seven, from each of the past two seasons. Sorce set up four of the Pacers’ goals, leading the team. Elash made 32 saves across her seven starts while conceding 16 goals.

All statistics are from MarywoodPacers.com as of October 2.

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