By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – After a tough loss to The University of Scranton, and a dominating 3-0 victory over Westminster on the road, the Juniata College women's soccer team is set to return home Saturday, Oct. 5, for a regional bout with McDaniel College. Kick off is set for 1 p.m. on Winton Hill Field.
"We were fortunate enough to put games in our schedule in very important places," said head coach Scott McKenzie. "McDaniel is going to really test us in a gap between conference matches. They are going to be athletic. They are going to be fast. We are getting them on our field where we have Goucher coming the week after. It is providing us a wonderful bridge, between Scranton and Goucher, where we have to be playing at our best."
The Eagles midweek victory over Westminster was a commanding performance in which Juniata earned its fifth team shutout of the year. The Eagles outshot the Titans 21-7 and out cornered Westminster 7-4. Juniata is averaging a .542 shots-on-goal percentage and 3.2 goals per game. Prior to the match against Westminster, the Eagles were nationally ranked 38th in total assists and 40th in scoring offense.
McDaniel stands at 7-2 on the year. The Green Terror opened the 2013 season with a 4-0 win over Hood College. The Eagles also faced Hood and won by a final score of 6-1. McDaniel is most recently coming off a 2-1 win over Ursinus and previously defeated Landmark Conference opponent Goucher College 4-0. The Green Terror has scored 30 goals through nine matches this year and is being led by Julia Pope and Nicole Hill with six goals each.
The two teams have only met once in the last 10 years. On that day last year in Westminster, Maryland, the Eagles fell to the Green Terror 3-1. Juniata outshot Westminster in the second half, but was unable to overcome the Green Terror's first half lead.
"This is a second year head coach for McDaniel," said McKenzie. "She's had some good experiences. She's a good recruiter. She's got them playing at a high level. It's a team playing with confidence playing against a team here that has confidence. And we like to play at home."
Follow Your Eagles! Stay up-to-date on your Juniata College Eagles by following us on twitter (@JuniataEagles) and on Facebook (Juniata Eagles).
