St. Bonaventure

PHILADELPHIA – The St. Bonaventure women's soccer team collected its first conference victory of the season on Thursday evening under the lights at Saint Joseph's, taking control early and never relinquishing the lead en route to a 2-0 winning result.
 
The Bonnies (4-10-1, 1-7 A10) captured an early lead in the 14th minute after junior Hannah Lindenberger fought hard to win possession in the midfield. As she collected the ball and looked up field, she found freshman Ava Dimperio waiting in open space.
 
Lindenberger then threaded the needle, reaching Dimperio, who pushed the ball past Hawks' goalkeeper Lauren Lebo and further toward the net. A Saint Joseph's defender attempted to clear the shot at the last moment, but her redirect sent the ball into the back of the net, giving the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
 
After a decent stretch of back-and-forth battles for scoring opportunities, the Brown and White added to their lead in the 32nd minute courtesy of Audrey Cadman.

As the Hawks looked to direct the ball out of their defending zone, the redshirt junior stole possession and fired a missile from far outside the box. Her shot seared past Lebo and into the back of the net for her fourth goal of the season and the second tally of the night for the visitors.
 
Late in the first stanza, senior goalkeeper Juliana Castellano effectively defended what looked to be a promising free kick for the hosts, helping the Bonnies keep their two-goal cushion going into halftime.
 
Saint Joseph's (7-5-4, 3-3-2 A10) captured some momentum quickly out of the break, logging the first five shots of the second half over a 25-minute span. The fifth shot of that stretch resulted in a diving save for Castellano to keep the hosts scoreless.
 
The Hawks earned a penalty kick in the 85th minute after the Bonnies were called for a foul in the box, but the visitors were able to breathe a sigh of relief as the hosts' attempt sailed high over the crossbar. Bonaventure was unable to enjoy that feeling for long, however, as just seconds later, the Hawks' Chelsea Leal pinpointed a free kick in the top-right corner of the net for a goal, bringing the score to 2-1 late in the contest.
 
As the final five minutes of game time ticked away, Saint Joseph's continued to apply immense pressure on Bona's defense, firing shot after shot to no avail. A header which ricocheted off the crossbar in the final minute marked the closest the Hawks would come to tying the game. The Bonnies effectively dealt with the barrage and drained the remainder of the clock, walking away with their first conference victory in dramatic fashion.
 
SBU's winning result marked its first in conference play since Oct. 17, 2024, when the team toppled Rhode Island on the road, 2-1.
 
Castellano played full-time in the match and made five total saves.
 
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH RAY LEONE
"The effort our team gave to the game tonight was extraordinary. I'm so happy for our young team that has worked hard all season long."

UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure returns to the Marra Athletics Complex this coming Sunday to host Davidson for its home season finale at 12:00 p.m.
 
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