Crusaders Overrun Lady Knights in the ESAC Championship, 4-0
FRONT ROYAL, VA. – Central Penn's women's soccer team fell to Christendom (11-7, 1-0 Conference) 4-0 Monday afternoon in the ESAC Championship game.
GAME SUMMARY
Central Penn (4-4-1, 3-1 Conference) traded sides of the field with Christendom, looking for opportunities to score. It was the Crusaders, however, that got things rolling, beginning with their first goal of the game coming at the 12:00 mark which would be the only goal of the first half.
Coming out the second half, the Lady Knights looked to rally, but the Crusaders were again the first to find the scoreboard as that put the lead at 2-0 (70:00). The Crusaders would then go on to score two more goals (74:00, 81:00) to extend the lead to 4-0. Despite several different strategies and rotations, the Lady Knights were unable to find a breakdown in the Crusaders’ defense, leading to a 4-0 loss in the Championship.
FROM THE COACH
Coach Rudy Grubesky said, "Although our players and coaches wanted to bring home an ESAC championship, I am proud of how our team battled the whole match and never gave up.
We took a solid core of experienced soccer players, added several athletes from our 2023 recruiting class as well as other sports at Central Penn, and some girls who decided to play just so we could have a season, and our coaching staff got the best out of each of them to function as a team.
I am very appreciative of the hard work and dedication that all our players put into this season from all the training sessions, to playing nine competitive matches, to participating in a variety of community service and fundraising projects. Our two co-captains, Trinity Etzweiler and Kacie Hoppel provided leadership on and off the field to help keep the team organized and on task.
We went from possibly not having a season to earning the chance to play for a championship in the first season of bringing soccer back to Central Penn College. I am honored that Coach Caitlin Brownley and Coach Amanda Knaub joined my coaching staff. Both were a godsend and contributed to our success this season.
The support of our Athletic Director, Kasey Hicks, Coach Kenton Alston, the faculty, staff, and college administration was also instrumental in our having a successful season this year.
The bottom line is that it was huge just getting to the final. Hopefully, this season will be a springboard to future success for our student athletes both on the soccer pitch and in the classroom."
- The Knights finished ranked #13 in the standings.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Central Penn Knights Athletics all season long on Instagram (@gocpcknights or @centralpenn), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GoCPCKnights), online at www.centralpennknights.com, and YouTube @KnightlyNewsCPC.