9/21/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – With players finally healthy and a roster to compete, Lackawanna College women's soccer is anxious to get on the pitch and show the work they've put in over the offseason.
 
The Falcons are set to get their season started this afternoon when they host the Nittany Lions of Penn State Scranton at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore, PA. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00pm ET. The game will have a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College and Region 19 Sports Network. You can watch along live at www.lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
About the Falcons
Lackawanna College went 1-9 last year, but the Falcons won their final game over SUNY Ulster, scoring a season-best three goals in a 3-0 win, sending a trio of upperclassmen with serious impacts on the program into the sunset.
 
A year later, the Falcons now have to do their best to replace the scoring prowess of Rachel Apsley and Ashley Bruno, as well as the keeper skills that Sophia Andreoli brought to the table. Lackawanna College has a number of players who got serious playing time last year, and will look to add their own contributions to the Falcons this year.
 
It will start with sophomore midfielder Sarah Manweiler (East Islip, NY) the captain for the Falcons coming into the season. Manweiler saw time last season for the Falcons in the midfield, and battled injuries to stay on the pitch.
 
Manweiler will be joined by fellow returning players Kaeleigh Viola (West Islip, NY), Jazly Garcia (Scranton, PA), Aliyah Shade (Richland, PA), Alexis Maurer (Elizabethville, PA) and Gina Grof (Uniontown, PA). Viola, Garcia, and Shade will look to be the scoring leaders for the Falcons. Shade is the only returning Falcon with a goal and an assist from last season. Her goal came in the early moments of the last game against SUNY Ulster last year. Viola saw time in nine games last season for Lackawanna College, and Garcia appeared in all ten games last season, starting in five of them.
 
Maurer and Grof will be part of the defense at the back for the Falcons. Maurer, when healthy, can be a great, marauding defensive mid who can work hard for the ball and cover a lot of ground. Grof spent a lot of time on defense last season for the Falcons, making a lot of last ditch tackle attempts to try to keep the opposition from scoring.
 
Some new faces include Sophia Mandarano (Dunmore, PA), Ashley Goings (Bensalem, PA), and Madison Magone (Rockaway, NJ) for the Falcons. Magone will be the keeper, while the others will be outfield players for the Falcons.
 
Megan Tweedy returns for her second year at the helm for the Falcons. Tweedy, a Lackawanna College graduate, also played soccer and basketball for the Falcons in her time at Lackawanna. She is a Lakeland HS graduate, and an NEPA native. She will be assisted by Ashley Bruno, one of the top-scorers from last year's team, and inside the top five all-time in Falcons goals, ever.
 
About The Opponents
The Nittany Lions (0-0) have had similar delays to the start of their 2022 campaign as the Lackawanna College Falcons.
 
Penn State Scranton does have a pair of seniors returning this year, including keeper Trinity Gammaitoni and defensive mid Kelly Velehoski, as well as a junior in Adia Douglas.
 
The head coach for the Nittany Lions is Amber Smith.
 
Game Details
Wednesday's game is set for a 4:00pm ET kickoff at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore, PA. Admission is free to the public. For those who cannot attend, there will be a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College and Region 19 Sports Network at www.lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.