COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Senior Erin Farrell scored a goal of her own and assisted on the first collegiate goal by junior Danielle Kuller to help the Ursinus College women's soccer team defeat visiting Washington College, 3-0, in a critical Centennial Conference contest on Wednesday night. Freshman Cailey Sanchez also opened her collegiate account for the Bears, who took over sole possession of fifth place in the league playoff chase with a much-needed rout in their last home game of the regular season.
Ursinus (5-7-1, 3-4) only attempted eight shots, but nearly half of them found the mark and senior goalkeeper Courtney Sullivan and the defense kept the Shorewomen (5-7-1, 0-6) at bay as the Bears posted their fourth shutout victory of the season. With three crucial points in hand, Ursinus moved two ahead of Gettysburg for the fifth and final postseason berth, though the Bullets have a game in hand.
The Bears did not record a shot until midway through the first half, but found themselves playing from in front after Farrell tipped in a loose ball in front of the net after a pass by sophomore Mackenzie Groff.
Farrell's through ball to the left side of the net found the feet of Kuller, who finished the feed for her first career goal at 64:01. Sanchez added another just over 10 minutes later, bouncing a shot from 25 yards over the goalkeeper's head for a 3-0 lead.
Sullivan recorded three saves in her 14th career shutout, leaving her two shy of the all-time record.
Farrell, Kuller, and Sanchez all scored on their only shots of the night for Ursinus, which narrowly outperformed Washington College in shots (8-6) and corner kicks (4-3). Arianna Sabatino registered half of the six shots for the Shorewomen.
Ursinus has won four consecutive meetings in the series, all of them via shutout.
With Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, and Swarthmore already clinching playoff bids, the Bears are battling with Haverford, Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, and Dickinson for the final two spots. The Fords are one point clear of Ursinus with a game in hand, while the Bears lead Gettysburg by two points, Muhlenberg by three, and Dickinson by four. The Bullets also have played one less game than Ursinus.
The women's soccer team continues its playoff pursuit at Dickinson on Saturday. Kick-off is slated for noon.
