BETHLEHEM, Pa. – At 5-foot-11, freshman defender Erin Casey (Hatfield, Pa./Gwynedd Mercy Academy) is an offensive threat on corner kicks for The University of Scranton women’s soccer team. On Tuesday afternoon at Moravian, she proved that theory at the perfect time.

Casey’s first career goal – off a corner kick – lifted the Royals to a 1-0 victory in overtime against the Greyhounds at HUB Quad. The win improves the Royals to 6-6-3 overall and 3-0-1 in Landmark Conference action, good for first place. The victory also clinches a Landmark Conference playoff berth for the Royals, who are two-time defending Landmark Conference champions.

The goal came 67 seconds into overtime on a corner kick by Ellen Walker (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), who picked up her second assist of the season. It also snapped a streak of slightly more than 325 minutes of action since Scranton scored its last goal.

Junior goalie Kesly McAnelly (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) made four saves for her eighth shutout of the season for Scranton, one day after being named Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Week after making a season-high six saves in a 0-0 tie in double overtime against Drew on Saturday, Oct. 13.

The Royals held a 15-10 advantage in shots over Moravian, which fell to 6-7-1 and 2-2 in the Landmark Conference. Scranton also enjoyed an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Senior goalkeeper Tori Korona (Easton, Pa./Easton) made eight saves for Moravian, including seven in the second half.

Scranton now holds a three-point lead over Catholic with two games remaining in the regular season. Teams earn three points for a victory and one for a tie.

The Royals will travel to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Oct. 20, to face Catholic at 1 p.m. A victory for Scranton would secure the top seed in the Landmark Conference playoffs and guarantee home-field advantage in both the semifinal and championship rounds.

--ROYALS--