WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -Â For the first time in the 31-year history of the program, the Lycoming College women's soccer team will appear in a conference championship game, as the No. 2-seeded Lycoming will head to No. 1-seed University of Scranton for the Landmark Conference Championship final at Weiss Field on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m.
Tickets for the game cost $10 for adults (18+) and $5 for minors (ages 10-17). Landmark Conference students, faculty and staff can enter free with their campus ID. Tickets can be purchased online ONLY.
On Thursday, senior Madison Maihle (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore Area) lifted the Warriors (15-2-3 overall) to a 2-1 victory over sixth-seeded Moravian University in the team's Landmark Conference Championship semifinal. The Warriors established the lead in the 20th minute when sophomore Kaitlyn Born (Hamilton, N.J. / South Brunswick) scored her first goal of the season. Moravian's Sydney DeFranco posted a goal in the 51st minute to tie the game before Maihle's goal 15 minutes later.
Leading the conference with nine assists, junior Aubrey Williamson (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) broke the program record for career assists on Thursday night thanks to assists on both goals. The assists also helped Williamson join sophomores Mikayla Long (Lewisburg, Pa. / Lewisburg Area) and Ella Magee (Selinsgrove, Pa. / Selinsgrove Area) as the only trio in the conference with 20 points from the same team.
Leading the league with an .898 save percentage, Lycoming's junior goalkeeper Riley Block (Hopatcong, N.J. / Morris Catholic) saved four shots launched by the Greyhounds.
The Warriors' win over Moravian in the semifinals pushed them to a program-record 15 wins, breaking the record of 12 set by the 2022 squad. Entering the finals, Lycoming ranks second in the league in shots (284), scoring average (2.050), saves (107) and corner kicks (135).
The championship game appearance is the culmination of an impressive rebuilding project by eighth-year head coach Kenny Fern. After a 2-16 season in his second year in 2018, he has helped the Warriors to five straight winning seasons and four years with at least 10 wins.
The University of Scranton (16-1-2 overall), ranked 14th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division III poll, earned their place in the Landmark Conference Championship final after notching a 5-0 victory over fourth-seeded Drew University on Thursday. Scranton's' Niamh Healy and Morgan Goffice led the team with three points, coming from one goal and one assist a piece.
Healy leads the Landmark Conference with 13 goals, eight game-winning goals and she is the only player in the league with 30 points. Samantha Goffice is sixth in the league with four goals and two assists for 10 points. Scranton's goalkeeper Nicole Olson leads the conference with 11 shutouts per game and a 0.33 goals against average.
As a team, the Royals lead the league in shots (409), scoring average (2.526), and corner kicks (137), and they rank second in save percentage (.872).
Scranton, who has won five straight conference titles, enters the Landmark Conference Championship final with a nine-game winning streak and will be met by Lycoming's five-game winning streak.
The Warriors fell 4-2 to the Royals on Oct. 9, as the Royals scored twice in the game's last ten minutes. For almost 45 minutes, the game remained tied 2-2 until Scranton's Morgan Griffin and Molly Martys secured goals in the 83rd and 86th minute to push the Royals to a win. Sophomore Julia Bidelspach (Myerstown, Pa./ELCO) scored the first goal for the Warriors and senior Kylie Brodkorb (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) put the pressure on for the second, which was ruled an own goal, as the team was one of only two to score on the Royals during the conference's regular season.
