August 31st – Penn State Hazleton
The Bluefield Women's Soccer team kicked off their weekend with an 8-1 win against Penn State Hazleton, marking their first victory of the season. The Rams demonstrated a powerful offensive performance and saw several players notch their first career goals in an exhilarating display of teamwork and skill.
First Period Highlights
The Rams wasted no time asserting their dominance. Just 8 minutes into the game, Sara Cox opened the scoring, and she quickly followed up with her second goal at the 15-minute mark. Kaylei Newman then added another goal at 19 minutes. The excitement continued as Emily Spaulding scored her first career goal at the 26-minute mark, and Jamye Crawford joined the scoring spree with her first career goal at 30 minutes.
With a 5-0 lead at halftime, Bluefield had already showcased a remarkable offensive effort, but they were far from done.
Second Period Performance
After the break, Lucy Nicely quickly got on the score-sheet with an early goal. Hannah Thacker also recorded her first career goal, and Chessiemae Tindall added another to the tally. Penn State Hazleton managed to pull one back in the last 20 minutes of the game, but the Rams' dominance was clear throughout.
Assists and Team Contributions
The victory was a true team effort, with assists coming from Sara Cox, Macy McBride, Caitlyn Chaney, Jamye Crawford, Emily Spaulding, and Moriah Mingo. The collaborative play and involvement of multiple players were key to the Rams' offensive success.
Coach's Reflection
Coach Patrick Ritter expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, saying, "Really happy with the progress we made over the last two weeks since our first game. We want to apply pressure early and we saw that with a goal in the first 10 minutes by Sara. We hope to continue this momentum with a very strong opponent Monday to finish our non-conference play."
Looking Ahead
The Rams will look to build on this momentum as they prepare for their next match against Penn State Mont Alto on September 2nd at 1 p.m. The team's strong performance and team cohesion are promising signs as they move forward in their season.
