ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - The St. Bonaventure University women's soccer team gritted out a 1-0 victory against the Long Island University Sharks on Thursday at the Marra Athletics Complex.

An LIU own goal in the 32^nd minute proved to be the difference.

The first chance of the game came in favor of the Bonnies after eight minutes. A misplay by the Sharks goalkeeper found Hannah Smith delivering a pass to Giovanna Coghetto in a dangerous spot in the penalty area, but the Sharks goalkeeper saved Coghetto's shot on target.

Even though Long Island held most of the possession in the first half, the Bona defense held strong in the opening 45 minutes. Saves from goalkeeper Juliana Castellano and clearances from defender Hannah Walker kept the Sharks scoreless through the opening 45 minutes.

During the 32nd minute, Hannah Lindenberger made a pass from midfield to the left side of the box to Kaitlyn Jamison. Jamison then played decoy and let the ball go through to a wide open teammate in Hannah Walker who caught the goalkeeper off her line and serviced a ball into the box. The ball deflected off a Sharks defender and into the back on the net to open the scoring at 1-0 Bonnies.

The Bonnies applied the pressure out of halftime. Smith delivered a plethora of crosses into the box to try to find a teammate to double the lead. All the crosses found the hands of the Sharks goalkeeper instead.

The highlights of the second half came from the Bona back line. Once again, Long Island saw lots of possession in the attacking third and had chances to tie the game up but fierce defending from Walker, Lindenberger and company, along with impressive saves from Castellano kept the Bonnies in front of the scoreboard.

Bona had one last push to try to extend the lead right before the final whistle in the 89th minute. A long throw-in into the box found a multiple Bonnies defenders before eventually stopping at Coghetto in the middle of the box. Her shot, however, was saved by the keeper.

SBU junior keeper Juliana Castellano had one of her best performances in a Bonaventure uniform. She recorded her first collegiate clean sheet, an effort that saw a career-high seven saves. 

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MELISSA SHERWOOD
"I think we limited them in terms of shots and chances created, even at the end there with the free kick from the tall striker. She got her head to it and didn't get good connection. I think we stifled them a little bit, but they still carried a bit of a threat. We got it over the line and got the job done, basically. We have to keep working on creating more chances and hopefully, moving forward, that margin being 1-0 when you get to the last moments of the game, we have to put one more player in the back to shore things up. It's more comfortable because, maybe it's 3-0 rather than 1-0. That's the goal."

UP NEXT
The Bonnies will be back in action Sunday, returning to the Marra Athletics Complex to face Oakland at 1 p.m. as they celebrate Senior Day. St. Bonaventure will honor its graduating seniors during pregame ceremonies.

------
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on X @GoBonnies and get women's soccer updates @BonniesWSoccer. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies. Bonnies women's soccer can be found on Instagram @bonnieswsoccer.