The women's soccer program at Shawnee State gave up an early blast to Point Park's Madison Spencer and trailed throughout much of the first half, but the Bears, in resounding fashion, answered in a large way.
Brenna Woodard's 38th minute goal tied the score just before halftime on a beautifully-placed shot to give SSU a much-needed boost and tie the score, while Eilidh Mchattie added in two blasts of her own to give Shawnee State the lead as the Bears collected a 3-1 victory over the Pioneers Wednesday evening at Shawnee Turf in Portsmouth.
In the win, Shawnee State outshot Point Park by a scant 12-11 margin while posting an equally scant 8-7 shots on goal edge. The Pioneers posted eight corner kicks to the Bears' two, but SSU did not allow Point Park to even get a shot away on any of the eight corners near its end.
With the victory, Shawnee State improved to 5-1-2 against Point Park dating back to the 2007 season.
Woodard ties match with strong transition touch
Staying with any play is big regardless of sport, and in Wednesday's contest between Shawnee State and Point Park, Brenna Woodard did just that -- and was rewarded for it in a major way. Upon receiving a ball in transition off of a misplay from the Pioneers, Woodard launched a top-shelf shot that nestled cleanly into the upper right corner of the net, allowing Shawnee State to tie Point Park in a 45-minute period where the Bears struggled to finish on their chances.
Mchattie provides game-winning blasts
Fresh off of a four-goal week that gave the naturally talented do-it-all letterwinner Mid-South Conference Offensive Player of the Week accolades for the second time in her career, Eilidh Mchattie continued to add to her terrific season with goals No. 5 and No. 6 on the year.
On a touch from Alba Closa Tarres, Mchattie was able to fire a ball past Point Park goalkeeper Ella Serlin in the 49th minute to put Shawnee State ahead for good while collecting her third consecutive go-ahead goal in a SSU victory in the process. Mchattie then gave the Bears the necessary breathing room to hold off a late charge by the Pioneers, with Paige Alford lofting a pass to Mchattie and the latter finishing with a nifty over-the-top touch that dropped over Serlin's head in the 54th frame of action.
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With her two blasts Wednesday evening, Mchattie now has 17 goals and three assists for her career, amounting to 37 points in all. Woodard scored her first goal of the season with her game-tying shot and now has five goals, six assists and 16 points at SSU while Closa Tarres posted her first assist of the 2021 campaign and now has five goals, four assists and 14 points with the Bears.
Shawnee State (4-2) will host Lourdes (1-0-2) Saturday evening at 5 p.m. at Shawnee Turf to cap off the nonconference portion of the women's soccer program's schedule.
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