Ronald Hanaki

Staff Writer

No. 23 ESU Women’s Soccer beat the Shippensburg University Raiders 4-1 at home on a rainy Wednesday, Oct. 30, to qualify for the PSAC Tournament. It was their fifth victory in six games. 

Two minutes into the game, Warrior sophomore Hailee Reinhardt blasted a shot from 25 yards out that got past Shippensburg sophomore goalkeeper Kasey Doss for the opening goal.

Reinhardt would score again when ESU was awarded a corner kick eleven minutes later. She headed in senior Jessica Woodbyrne’s corner kick to put the Warriors ahead by two goals off of the set-piece. 

Senior Jules Sicker and freshman Brienn Seaman added two more goals within the first eleven minutes after intermission to make the score 4-0 ESU.

Seaman’s goal was an arcing shot from 20 yards out that curved in for ESU’s fourth goal.

The Warriors would concede a late goal in the second half, but they coasted to a comfortable 4-1 victory.

After the game, head coach Rob Berkowitz said that getting the early goals helped his team get the win.

“We had a really good start. But then they settled into the game because we left off the gas,” Berkowitz said.

He continued, “It was 4-1, but it was probably a closer game than the result. If we didn’t get the early goals, then it would have been a long night. Hailee Reinhardt getting two goals for us was the key.”

Berkowitz also praised his team’s defense.

Now that ESU has qualified for the postseason conference tournament, they are playing for seeding and the possibility of hosting an opening-round game.

Woodbyrne said that her coach’s game plan was instrumental in getting the win. 

“They were a good team. They first were playing one formation, then they switched to a 4-3-3. But we adjusted well to the formation change and stuck to our game plan,” Woodbyrne said.

Of course, getting the two goals early helped the Warriors ease into the game.

“It put us ahead, and we could just calm down and play the game that we played,” Woodbyrne said. 

Junior Haley Skove is one of the outstanding midfielders for the Warriors.

“I think we just came out really strong. We knew that we had to win this one,” Skove said. “Hopefully, we get a good seeding, and we can host the first round.”

The Warriors (12-4, 11-3) will play their final regular-season game at home against Shepherd (1-14-2, 1-13-1), this Saturday. It will be Senior Day, and the team will honor its seniors for their outstanding contributions to the team.

Email Ronald at: 

rhanaki@live.esu.edu