Women's soccer stumbles in Landmark Conference match at Moravian

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College allowed two goals in the opening 20 minutes of play and couldn't recover as the Eagles fell to Moravian College, 4-1, in Landmark Conference women's soccer Saturday afternoon.

The loss keeps Juniata (3-7-1, 0-2-0 Landmark) out of the win column in Landmark Conference play, however four of the six schools ahead of the Eagles in the Landmark standings are tied for third place in the conference with three points.

Four of the six schools will also finish the weekend with three league games under their belt, meaning Juniata will have a game-in-hand over most of their conference rivals.

With senior Elaina Robins (York, Pa./York Suburban) making her first collegiate start in goal, Juniata found itself on the receiving end of some early offensive pressure by Moravian (4-7-1, 1-2-0 Landmark).

After their first two shots were wide of the mark, the Greyhounds' third attempt beat Robins in the 15th minute. Diana Feldmann scored her first of the season for Moravian, taking advantage of a Juniata turnover and then uncorking a blast from 20 yards out. Tara Alberse notched her first of the season barely two minutes later to extend Moravian's lead to 2-0, settling a loose ball off a shot by Kayla Pagnani.

Arielle Caldas capped the first half scoring, beating Robins with a shot to the lower left corner in the 38th minute off a pass from Jenna Stickle.

Juniata forward Paula Pryor (Westbrookville, N.Y./Burke Catholic) got the Eagles onto the scoreboard in the 55th minute. Jennifer Graves (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) sent a through ball to Pryor, who beat to goalie with a shot to the far side of the goal and just inside the post.

Stickle put the game effectively out of reach for Moravian in the 64th minute, when she scored on a penalty kick.

Moravian outshot Juniata, 20-11, and had a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. Robins finished the day with nine saves in the Juniata goal, while Moravian keeper Genevieve Chaleff charted four saves in the Greyhound goal.

Juniata continues the four-game road stretch on Thursday, Oct. 13, when it travels to La Plume, Pa., to face Keystone College. Start time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

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