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Greyhounds Blank Rival Muhlenberg on Cassel's Free Kick

The Greyhounds celebrate with junior defender Sara Cassel (22) after she scored on a long free kick in the 26th minute of Moravian's shutout win over rival Muhlenberg College.
The Greyhounds celebrate with junior defender Sara Cassel (22) after she scored on a long free kick in the 26th minute of Moravian's shutout win over rival Muhlenberg College.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's soccer squad jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute on a free kick goal by junior defender Sara Cassel as the Greyhounds posted a 1-0 victory over rival Muhlenberg College on John Makuvek Field Wednesday evening.

"It was super exciting tonight," stated Head Coach Jeff Ykoruk. "This is probably three straight years that it has come down to the final minutes against Muhlenberg. They're a really strong program. I was proud of our team responding off of a tough loss to a nationally-ranked team. Now we have a few home games as we look to put together a little streak."

Cassel would tally her first goal of the season and second of her career a little passed the midway point of the first half. After a foul, Cassel lined up for a free kick about 40 yards from the goal on the far side and ended up putting the kick into the upper right corner of the net for the lead.

"Sara did that a few times last year," noted Ykoruk. "Early on this season, she's been struggling to find that spot so we've been working with her. She's been staying confident. Sometimes I think players, especially opposing goalkeepers, take it for granted that she can't reach that from 35-40 yards, and by the time they start realizing that it might make it, it is already in the back of the net. Sara's worked really hard at it. She and Paige Weiss are the backbone of our defense with both playing a full 90 minutes in every match. It was good to see Sara rewarded on the offensive end for all the hard work she does on defense."

Senior goalie Jamie Daly picked up the win for the Blue and Grey with two saves in the first half while junior Siobhan O'Sullivan-Evangelista added three stops in the second half to finish off the shutout.

The Greyhounds evened their record at 2-2 with the win and finished the contest with a 13-12 edge in shots and a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Moravian is slated to return to action on Saturday, September 14 when the squad hosts Rutgers-Camden in a non-conference match on John Makuvek Field beginning at 4:00 p.m., the middle contest of a Family Day tripleheader on Makuvek Field.

Post match interview with Assistant Coach Alyssa Zurlo and Daly.

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