The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THREE years ago, coach Bill Bonewitz and his Alvernia Crusaders women’s soccer team blanked the Bahamas select side. On Thursday in the Roscoe Davies Developmental Centre at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, Bonewitz’s fairly new Crusaders squad left town for Reading, Pennsylvania with a 5-2 victory over a more improved local team.

“It was just great to come back and play. The local (Bahamas Football Association) organisation was very hospitable to us,” Bonewitz said. “We had such a good time that they are already planning to come back in 2017. I went to England once, Bermuda twice, but we like it so much here that we want to keep coming back.”

This time around, Bonewitz said the Bahamas selects were very aggressive in the first half, but once his Crusaders settled down, they stepped it up and worked the ball around for the best percentage shots.

“In the first half, we tried to play too much quick balls and we were caught offside because we were not as fast as the other team,” Bonewitz said. “But once we settled in and started to work the ball in the second half, we played much better. It was just a matter of being patient and working our system.”

While it was only an exhibition game, the Crusaders got off to a slow 2-1 lead at the half before Taylor Landis produced a hat trick with her three goals in the second half. Taylor, a 5-foot-7 forward in her sophomore year, played with a brace on her right leg.

But it didn’t seem as if she was recuperating from any injury as she booted in four of the five goals for the Crusaders. After falling behind 1-0, Landis struck with her first goal in the 31st and Meg Hanrahan got the other in the 34th minute as the Americans took control of the game going into the break.

When play resumed, Landis broke through the Bahamas select’s defence to score in the 74th, 76th and 81st minute to push the Crusaders’ lead to 4-1. Although she was drained from the scorching heat, Landis said she was excited to make her debut in the Bahamas and Avernia’s return a successful one.

“It’s really pretty. I like it. I enjoyed the experience here,” she said.

As for the match, Landis said the victory was icing on the cake for their team that included first half goal keeper Margaret Burnett and Jessica Pliunkett, who took over in the second half. Other members of the team were Alexis Benton, Jess Bernd, Erica Dunkelberger, Tara Gallagher, Maria Petrongolo, Lily Read, Shannon Browne, Madison Balga, Devon Reeves, Myrisa Kates, Hannah Mallets, Chelsea Wehman, Bailey Stover, Jamie Dearie, Raychel Copeland, Taylor Smith, Mady Harris, Amber Scott, Hannah Fox, Sara Hayes, Aimee Sandoval and Kristen Eckert.

“I think we passed the ball around very well and we kept our composure,” she said. “I was a little surprised that I got the four goals. I just came off a torn ACL last season, so I didn’t know what to expect. I think the team played very well and because we passed the ball, I was able to score.”

The more youthful Bahamas select got their only two goals from college player Lauren Haven with one apiece in the first and second half.

“It was hot, but despite the fact that our team was younger than their team, we played very well,” Haven said. “We competed with them for the first five minutes, but as the heat started to settle in, it was evident that they were more fitted and technically sound than we were, but I thought it was a good game.”

Haven, one of the two players on the team with any collegiate experience, said she was just happy to lead the team by example.

“I just wanted to let them know that they were not going to just beat us like that,” said Haven, a 5-9 forward in her junior year at the University of Charleston in West Virginia where she has had a sensational career so far for the Golden Eagles soccer team.

“I just finished our season where we were third in our conference and I scored six goals and made second team All-Conference. So I thought I had a pretty good year and so it was just good to come home and have that sort of impact on our team, even though we lost a very good game.”

In addition to Haven, the other collegiate player on the Bahamas select team was Cheryl Evans. The other members named to the team were Megan Fox, D’Shan Clarke, Amelia Peterson, Shamia Pintard, Lian Haven, Hannah Albury, Janae Seymour, Savannah Seymour, Kristina Allyne, Ashley Neely, Ashya Butler, Keithres Hepburn, Joya Smith, Lauren Brown, Mya Bowe, Jenai Adderley, Dakoda Clarke and Raunice Butler.

Not all of the girls showed up or played, but head coach Kevin Davies was still pleased with the effort by those in attendance.

“I think the girls did well. Technically the other team was much better than we were,” he said. “In the first half, we had three or four chances that we could have put the ball in the net and changed the outlook of the game. But I think we played well. It was a different level of exposure for us.

“We had two college players and the rest were under-17 and under-15 girls, so we can’t be too disappointed. We played as well as we could under the circumstances.”

Alvernia, one of the top teams in the MAC III Commonwealth, left town last night. They made it to their conference playoffs three times and lost twice to the eventual NCAA champions. They also made it to the ECQAC championship semi-finals twice and now can boast of beating the Bahamas select in as many outings.