WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 23) – The Waynesburg University women's soccer team hosted Thiel for senior night on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets took care of business with a 4-1 win over the Tomcats that allowed the home team to take a step towards its first berth into the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament in nine years.
The Jackets (7-7-1, 3-4-1) opened the scoring in the 18
th minute, when sophomore
Kate James (Silver Springs, Md. / St. John's College H.S.) tallied her second goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, senior
Leesha Wagner (Lower Burrell, Pa. / Lower Burrell) logged her first tally of the campaign to extend the Jackets' lead to 2-0. Both of those early scores were of the unassisted variety.
Thiel (4-9-1, 1-7-0) got back into the conference tilt with a goal late in the 22
nd minute. However, Waynesburg answered before the halftime break thanks to sophomore
Madey Hill (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown), who found the back of the net for the first time in 2021 27:25 into the first half. Freshman
Demaree Livingston (Willow Grove, Pa. / Upper Dublin) helped out with her second assist of the season.
By the time Hill scored, the two teams had combined for four goals in 8:43.
Things died down offensively in the second half, but Hill was able to put one more on the board for the host squad in the 46
th minute.
Both teams were efficient in their offensive efforts, as Waynesburg scored on almost half of its nine shots on goal, while Thiel put four attempts on goal. The Jackets held a massive 10-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Junior
Autumn Blair (Penn Hills, Pa. / Penn Hills) got the start in goal and made two saves over 65:03 of action. Classmate
Kennedy Schuck (Marietta, Ohio / Marietta) played 24:57 of shutout soccer and picked up a save as she closed out the win.
With the victory, Waynesburg now has 10 points in the PAC standings and sits in seventh place. A win in Tuesday's regular season finale against Geneva would allow the Jackets to lock up a spot in the six-team PAC tournament. Kickoff at John F. Wiley Stadium against the Golden Tornadoes is scheduled for 7 p.m.