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Women’s Soccer Shut Out UPG in 1-0 Win Thursday

By Joe Smeltzer for The Yellow Jacket 2 min read
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The Waynesburg women’s soccer team got a non-conference win over the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg at John F. Wiley Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 15.

It was a defensive battle that was not settled in the 90 minutes of regulation. Finally, in overtime, junior defender Sam Nichols scored 98 minutes into the match for the victory, improving the Jackets’ record to 2-3. Pitt-Greensburg, on the other hand, fell to 1-5.

Nichols, from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, is one of the players who head coach Laura Heethuis holds in high regard, as she is one of the anchors of the defense, she said.

“Sam Nichols and [sophomore defender] Mckenzie Shaffer anchored our back line all last year and are a solid threat together,” Heethuis said.

Shaffer is one of the young players that make up the majority of Waynesburg’s roster. Of the 11 women who started the Pitt-Greensburg game, five were freshmen, two were sophomores and three were juniors, while senior defender Melanie Burchfield was the only senior in the starting lineup.

“We’ve got great leadership with two seniors and a larger junior class,” said Heethuis. “In addition, [sophomore midfielder] Natalie Fortna and Shaffer do not play or act as sophomores, and their leadership continues to be shown throughout. I think the freshman class has come in very well and competed for their minutes in practices and games. They knew they had a chance to make an impact from day one and have taken that challenge.”

Waynesburg traveled to Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, today. The Jackets lost the match 5-0, dropping to 2-4 on the season. Although Capital was currently 0-4 coming into the game, Heethuis praised its soccer program.

“Capital always proves to be a good side with technical and high IQ players. They will be a great challenge for us as we get nearer to conference play starting in October,” Heethuis said before the match.

So far, Heethuis is very pleased with the work ethic and attitude of her players.

“I love watching their personalities come out and how they show their emotion no matter if they win or lose,” Heethuis said. “They have a ‘never settle’ attitude and want to be coached to get better individually and collectively.”

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