Sammy Valloud put on a goal clinic, scoring twice for the Gannon University women’s soccer team in a 4-0 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference win over Lock Haven Saturday.
It was impressive, as every time she touched the ball she was a threat to score. The Lock Haven Lady Eagles were not very impressive on defense, as they allowed Gannon a lot of scoring opportunities and the Knights cashed in on four of them in a dominating performance.
Gannon returned to action Tuesday at Roberts Wesleyan, losing 1-0 in a non-conference match.
Prior to the win over Lock Haven, Gannon lost its previous start, 1-0, Thursday on the road against Bloomsburg.
It was a tough loss, but Bloomsburg outplayed the Knights for one play in the 25th minute when Jenna Fisher scored to make it 1-0.
It was a crushing defeat for Gannon but the Knights came back and played hard against Lock Haven.
Gannon coach Collin Petersen said the defeat was a tough one.
“The Bloomsburg loss put a bad taste in our team’s mouth,” he said.
In the win over Lock Haven, Valloud scored with 15 minutes to go in the first half and scored again with one minute to play in the first half.
Mani Brueckner scored in the 86th minute to put the game away, and Courtney Edwards added the finishing touches when she scored with three minutes to go.
Valloud was assisted by Brueckner and Kaitlyn Kissell, who helped to get the ball to her for her second goal.
Justine Rodrigues played a strong game, assisting her teammates and setting them up every time with pinpoint passes. She was one of the leaders out there and hustled after every ball.
She also assisted on Edwards’ late goal. She was very impressive and very energetic.
Brueckner also played hard and was very active, working to score and set up her teammates. Later, she talked about rebounding from a loss to Bloomsburg to beat Lock Haven.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to bounce back from a setback and still be able to come together as a team to accomplish goals we set for ourselves,” she said.
Valloud played another relentless game by scoring two goals and putting pressure on Lock Haven’s defense.
“It always feels awesome to score goals and it feels good to know that I was the reason why my team won,” she said. “Our goal on the field is to try to score early and I’m glad I got to contribute to that.
“We’re a hard-working team and I wouldn’t have scored those goals if it weren’t for my teammates’ strong efforts.”
Petersen said he was very happy with the team’s effort overall and was excited to win another home game.
“Playing at home will be a key for us to hold in the playoffs,” he said.
As for the future, Peterson said, “There are a lot of difficult games coming up and this weekend is going to be tough for us.”
Following their non-conference outing against Roberts Wesleyan Tuesday, the Knights will return to action at 2 p.m. Friday, hosting East Stroudsburg, before entertaining visiting West Chester at 5 p.m. Saturday.
STEVEN PITCAIRN
