LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Freshman goalkeeper
Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa. / Pleasant Valley) recorded her second shutout of the season to lead the Mansfield University women's soccer team to a 0-0 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division tie with Lock Haven University on Wednesday night, Sept. 7.
The Mounties (1-2-1, 0-1-1 PSAC East) and Bald Eagles (3-0-1, 1-0-1 PSAC East) each pick up one point in the conference standings with the tie.
Merkin left the net on an aggressive play to shut down a LHU breakaway with less than a minute remaining to preserve the tie.
The Mountaineer defenders were impenetrable all evening, capping the night off with two huge open-net blocks with under six minutes to go to keep the game scoreless.
The Mounties led in shots, 8-6, and shots on goal, 5-4, but Megan Miller made five stops in the 90 minutes to earn the shutout for the Bald Eagles.
Five different Mountaineers fired a shot on net, led by two shots a piece from sophomore
Katelyn Rueppel (Myerstown, Pa. / Eastern Lebanon County) and junior
Emily Smith (Lehman, Pa. / Lake-Lehman).
The Mountaineers remain on the road this weekend when they travel to No. 12 Kutztown University on Saturday, Sept. 10 for a 1 p.m. PSAC East match.
