PHILADELPHIA — Chiara Gottinger made nine saves on Saturday afternoon for St. Bonaventure women's soccer, but a first half goal was enough for Saint Joesph's to down the Bonnies 1-0 in the City of Brotherly Love.
 
The first chance of the game belonged to the visiting Brown and White, when Tori Grant-Clavijo fired a shot off in the fourth minute. The chance was ultimately saved by the Hawks' keeper.
 
After the early Bona's chance, Saint Joe's turned up the intensity to go on the attack themselves.
 
The Hawks saw an eighth minute shot hit off the woodwork, before Gottinger was called into action, making a trio of saves for the Bonnies to keep the match scoreless 18 minutes in. Bonaventure was able to keep the Hawks attack at bay following the saves until the hosts broke open the scoring in the 35^th minute.
 
Saint Joe's attacker Jayda Shehadi fired an initial shot that was blocked by the Bona's defense, but the rebound caromed to Olivia Benzing who found the back of the net for the Hawks to make it 1-0.
 
Heading to halftime Saint Joe's held a 11-1 advantage in shots to go with their one-goal lead.
 
Gottinger did her best to fight off the Hawks from getting another score in the second half.
 
Bona's senior keeper picked up a save just three minutes into the frame and added four more throughout the final 45 minutes to keep SBU within one.
 
The Bonnies attack was unable to take advantage, however, struggling to figure out the Hawks backline all afternoon, dropping the contest 1-0.
 
The nine saves for Gottinger are her second-most of the 2024 campaign.
 
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH DONNY GEORGE
"Really proud of the girls for their fight against a tough Saint Joe's team. I thought we started the first half strong, creating an excellent chance to take an early lead. As the game progressed, we defended well, limiting them to low-probability opportunities. Even after they took the lead, the team stayed united and continued to make things difficult for them."

"The second half was about staying in the game, looking for a goal in transition or on the counterattack. Chiara came up big with 1-2 outstanding saves, keeping us in the match. The girls fought until the final whistle, creating a few dangerous moments as we pushed to take something from the game. We'll regroup, work hard, and continue to grow ahead of Thursday's match."

UP NEXT
SBU returns to action on Thursday with a road match at Rhode Island. The game is set for a 6 p.m. start on ESPN+.
 

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