Hood College Women’s Soccer Recap

By Charles Baynum//

The Hood College women’s soccer team faced a challenging week of Middle Atlantic Conference play, showing plenty of effort and organization but falling short on the scoreboard in three competitive matches.

The Blazers opened the stretch with a 2–0 home loss to Eastern University during Fall Family Weekend. The Eagles struck early, finding the net in the 13th minute on a goal from Molly Scheellper. Hood nearly answered later in the half when Jen Vasquez got free in front of the goal, but Eastern’s keeper made the save.

Hood pushed hard in the second half, earning six corner kicks and taking five shots, but couldn’t convert before Eastern doubled its lead in the final minutes to secure the win. Goalkeeper Ashley Stine finished with two saves for the Blazers.

Later in the week, Hood traveled to Annville and dropped a 3–0 decision to Lebanon Valley College. The match was tightly contested early, but the Dutchmen broke through in the 32nd minute and added another goal just before halftime.

The Blazers fought to get back into it after the break, with shots from Maddy Ereso, Adrianna Escobar, and Zoey Hicks testing the Lebanon Valley defense. Despite the increased pressure, the hosts added a third goal in the 75th minute to put the match out of reach. Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Loughry made five saves in her debut, and Hood played disciplined throughout, finishing without a card.

Hood wrapped up the week on the road in Chester, where the Blazers fell 1–0 to Widener University in another close conference matchup. Hood started strong, getting an early shot on target and controlling much of the opening minutes. Stine made several key stops to keep things even through halftime.

The Blazers continued to apply pressure early in the second half, but Widener capitalized on a counterattack in the 64th minute as a cross found the head of Erin Quinn for the lone goal of the match. Hood kept pushing late, but its best chance was turned away in the final minutes, and the Pride held on for the shutout. Stine recorded four saves in the effort.

Despite the results, the Blazers showed steady defensive play and improved ball movement across all three matches as they continue to navigate the heart of conference competition.

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