Story Details Courtesy of Tyler Schueck, Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Sports Information, Penn State Berks
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - The Penn State Berks women's soccer team saw its sensational 2023 season come to an end after a 3-1 setback to No. 9 ranked Johns Hopkins University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Jays (16-2-2) held possession on their offensive end early in the first half, but the Berks defense was able to keep them off the board. JHU had 10 shots and two corner kicks over the first 19 minutes of play compared to two shots by the Nittany Lions over the first 25 minutes, but the score was knotted 0-0.
Katie Sullivan converted her penalty kick at the 30:49 mark of the contest after Berks was whistled for a foul inside the box. Berks tried to find the equalizer moments later, but Laursen LeKites shot was stopped by Eva Breiland. JHU then went back to pressuring on the offensive end and were able to tack on another score just before the halftime break. Following a Berks foul, the free kick by Katia Chiampas was able to sneak just inside the left post to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
The second half started similarly to the opening period, with the Berks defense giving an impressive performance keeping JHU from adding to its lead. The Blue Jays broke through with their third goal of the afternoon when Alanna Craig found the back of the net in the 60th minute.
The Nittany Lions refused to go away quietly as Sara Hathaway drilled home her penalty kick in the 68th minute to make it a 3-1 score. Berks had a couple shots and corner kicks down the stretch, but were kept off the board.
Sophia Gonzalez continued her solid in play in goal, tying a season-high with 10 saves to keep the Nittany Lions in striking distance. The sophomore goalkeeper finishes the 2023 season with 85 saves and a 1.59 goals against average. Gonzalez was helped out today and all season by the strong defensive play from Morgan Kline, Lauren LeKites, Paige Borkowski, Faith Wavershak, and Maya Dolan.
For the game, JHU outshot Berks by a 26-5 margin (13-3 on goal) and held a 9-4 advantage on corner kicks.
Berks concludes the season with an overall record of 10-9-2. They won the United East for the second straight season and ninth time in program history. The Nittany Lions will bid farewell to seniors Hathaway, Kline, and Erna Hamzic. With a strong core of players set to return, along with the new recruits and transfers, the Nittany Lions will look to make a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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