Box Score
IMMACULATA, PA - The weather and field might not have cooperated as hoped, but at least the final score did.
The women's soccer team held on for a 2-1 victory Tuesday afternoon over Lancaster Bible College during a rain-soaked affair in East Region Semi-Final play, a win that provides PBU a ride to their seventh straight championship match.
The triumph places the Crimson Eagles in the East Region Title bout against - who else - longtime rival Baptist Bible College. Since 2003, the Crimson Eagles have gone up against and fell to the Defenders in the championship game a string of six straight times, with their most recent loss coming in the form of a 4-0 drubbing a year ago.
But on Tuesday, PBU had other worries, most notably the task of overcoming a group that had played the Crimson Eagles to a 0-0 draw just over a month ago.
Holding an 8-1-2 edge in the all time-series with Lancaster while outscoring the Chargers 26-3 during those games, the Crimson Eagles have seen the gap separating the two rivals slowly close over the past couple of years. On Saturday, the Chargers gave PBU everything they could handle before the host squad scraped by en route to their fourth win of the season.
Following 15 minutes of scoreless play to open things up, sophomore Sarah Schenkel connected for her third score of the season to give PBU an early edge. Fourth-year vet Summer Mullen would pad the advantage to 2-0 during the 33rd minute off a feed from Kate Henley, giving PBU a seemingly comfortable lead heading into the break.
With the lead still in-tact and time dwindling down the strech, Lancaster made sure to give PBU a run for their money in the waning minutes. The Chargers brought things to within one off a Whitney Heise score in the 75th minute of play, giving LBC hope for a game-evening goal down the stretch.
But the Crimson Eagles kept their composure throughout the final ticks and managed to shutout Lancaster the rest of the way. PBU ended the game with a 20-4 edge in shots for the afternoon and a 6-3 margin in total corners taken.
The soccer team will try and overcome history this Saturday during the East Region Championship against Baptist Bible College, a group they've never beaten in the title game. PBU will take on the Defenders in Clarks Summit at 2:00 pm with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCCAA II National Tournament.
