Long Records Career-High 15 Saves in 1-1 Tie With Bloomsburg
Oct. 11, 2006
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Sophomore Beth Long (Berwyn/Conestoga) recorded a season-high 15 saves, including 12 in regulation, to help guide the Shippensburg women's soccer team to a crucial 1-1 tie against PSAC Eastern Division rival Bloomsburg on Wednesday night at David See Field.
Shippensburg (8-5-2, 6-3-2 PSAC East) currently rests in second-place in the PSAC East with 19 points, while Kutztown sits in third place with a 5-2-2 record and 17 points.
Kutztown, however, has a divisional game in hand, and they travel to take on sixth-place Millersville tomorrow. Bloomsburg (5-6-4, 4-3-3 PSAC East), with its tie, sits in fourth-place with 15 points. The top three seeds from the Eastern Division will make the PSAC Women's Soccer Championship.
In Wednesday's contest, the Lady Huskies dominated the game offensively, peppering the Shippensburg cage with a total of 30 shots versus just 10 for the Lady Raiders. Long was on her toes for the entire contest, making five saves in the first half, seven in the second half, and three in the overtime periods.
Bloomsburg would strike first with just four minutes remaining in the first half, as Lauren Hess would fire a shot past Long for her second goal of the season. Erin Coulahan provided the assist. As a result, the Huskies led 1-0 at halftime, and Bloomsburg had outshot the Lady Raiders 14-4 through 45 minutes of play.
Shippensburg would quickly answer at the beginning of the second half, however, when junior Jamie Goetze (Glenmoore/Downington) scored her second goal of the season off an assist from freshman Gayle Kuntzmann (Hatboro/Hatboro-Horsham). Kuntzmann received a through ball and drew the attention of several Husky defenders and maneuvered into some open space to deliver a perfect cross that Goetze hammered into the back of the net.
The game was an extremely physical contest as well, with Shippensburg committing 18 fouls while Bloomsburg committed 12. The most crucial foul of the game came in the second overtime, when freshman Rachael Jeffrey (Allison Park/Hampton) tackled a Husky player in the box that resulted in a penalty kick for Bloomsburg. Eileen Alexander‚s kick sailed past Long, but rang off the post at 103:14.
The next game for Shippensburg will be this Saturday in the final home game of the regular-season. The Lady Raiders will take on Lock Haven on Senior Day at 1:00 p.m. It will be the final regular-season home game for Shippensburg's lone senior, Jessica Gibson (Annville/Annville-Cleona).
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