Box Score 9/17/24
 
NEWTON, NJ – Two second half goals, one a penalty and the other an excellent hustle play, were the difference, as Lackawanna College came back to knock off Sussex County CC, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon in New Jersey.
 
The Skylanders (0-3) took a lead in the 32^nd minute of the first half, when a ball deflected past the Lackawanna defensive line and bounded back towards the keeper. The Skylanders won the race to the ball, bore down on Lindsey Tasker (Clarks Summit, PA), and scored the first goal of the season for themselves.
 
The Falcons (2-1) were still trailing by that one goal early in the second half, when Tasker made a stop on a corner attempt. She quickly hoofed the ball downfield, connecting with Melanie Shumway (Rome, PA), who drew a foul on the left edge of the box, giving Lackawanna a chance from the penalty spot. Coming all the way from her spot in the net, Tasker was the one to step up to the spot, where she coolly drilled the penalty, drawing the Falcons even just five minutes into the second half.
 
In the 57^th minute, Shumway had a breakaway down the right side but missed her chip of the keeper. The subsequent goal kick was deflected back into the Sussex 18-yard box. Shumway hustled after it, where she perfectly timed a slide tackle to dispossess the keeper, jumped up quickly, and calmly sent the ball snapping into the back of the net to give Lackawanna a lead.
 
Sussex had a chance with a free kick on the right edge of the box in the 60^th minute, but the pass was wide, and the Falcons were able to dodge the issue. That was pretty much the story of the rest of the second half, with the sustained attacks coming few and far between, and both teams getting bogged down in the midfield.
 
Lackawanna's best chance came in the 73^rd minute when the Falcons had a 4-on-3 break. Sandra Diaz-Torres (Scranton, PA) fed a ball through to the right side to Shumway, who tried to groove a shot into the bottom corner, but the Skylanders keeper held firm.
 
Inside the last ten minutes, the Skylanders began to press, pushing up the field and trying long balls over the Lackawanna defense. Sussex had the ball inside the Lackawanna box in the 90^th minute and earned a corner on a deflection behind the goal. Sussex sent everybody, including the keeper, and connected on a pass to the back post, but the shot never came, and the Lackawanna defense managed to turn away the pressure and run out the clock for the win.
 
Lackawanna had 14 shots, nine of which came from Shumway. Tasker had the penalty goal and five saves for the Falcons.
 
The victory marks two straight wins for Lackawanna, the first time in 12 years that the Falcons have strung together two victories in a row. The Falcons get back to action on Saturday, September 28^th, when they play host to Region XIX DII opponent Mercer County CC. Kickoff is set for 12:00pm ET at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore.