Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh (PL Semifinal)
Bucknell Advances Past Lehigh on Penalty Kicks in Patriot League Semifinal
11/4/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 4, 2005
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Junior co-captain Shannon Curd (Westtown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) scored and notched the deciding tally in a shootout to help lift the Bucknell women's soccer team past No. 1 seed Lehigh, 6-5 in penalty kicks, in the Patriot League Semifinal on Friday evening. The teams played to a 1-1 draw after two overtimes and the game's outcome will be recorded as a tie.
Bucknell moved to 10-8-1 on the season in its first Patriot League postseason appearance and victory in the tournament since winning the championship in 2001, while the Mountain Hawks moved to 14-2-2 for the year.
The Bison jumped out in front, 1-0, at 33:52 when senior Kerry Fitz-Patrick (Washington, D.C./Stone Ridge) fed a cross in front to Curd who deposited the ball into the back of the net. The tally marked just the fifth goal scored against the Mountain Hawks all season.
Lehigh came out pressuring after the intermission, however, and opened the second half with several quality scoring chances. Bison netminder Katie Dry (Rochester, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy) made a save in a crowd in front off a free kick, then broke up a partial breakaway by Melissa Montalvo in the 60th minute.
The Mountain Hawks eventually capitalized on the pressure in the 64th minute when Gina Lewandowski tipped the ball over Dry's head off a feed from Meghan Duesing to tie the score at one.
Bucknell's best opportunity to regain the lead came in the 79th minute. Krista Lee Gentile (North Haledon, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) fired a looping shot in on Lehigh goalkeeper Julie Kafka but the ball glanced off the cross bar.
Despite being outshot, 12-4 though the second half and two overtimes, the Bison forced a shootout. Lehigh came within inches of a game-winning tally in the first overtime, but both shots were turned away by Bucknell defenders stationed along the goal line.
The Bison made their first four penalty kick attempts while the Mountain Hawks converted on three of their first four. Bucknell looked to clinch the shootout victory on its fifth shot, but Brittany Besler turned aside the attempt by sophomore Lindsey Appenzoller (West Orange, N.J./West Orange). Both squads went on to miss their sixth attempts and made their seventh before Curd found the back of the net on the Bison's eighth attempt. This proved to be the deciding tally as Dry stopped Lehigh's final kick by Hailey Coonrad.
Bucknell trailed in shots, 16-7, and in corner kicks, 11-3. Fouls were 14-5, against Lehigh. Dry made nine saves in net for the Bison while Julie Kafka recorded three saves for the Mountain Hawks.
Bucknell returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 6, for the Patriot League Championship game at 1 p.m., against the winner of the Army vs. Colgate Patriot League Semifinal.
