GOSHEN, Ind. -- Host Goshen College managed to sneak one more shot in the goal than University of St. Francis Saturday afternoon and the Leafs won the nonconference women's soccer match by a 3-2 score over the Saints.


USF (1-7) was coming off its first win of the season, a 9-0 whitewashing of new Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Holy Cross College (IN) on Wednesday. But that easy win turned out to be very costly as the Saints' leading scorer -- sophomore forward Erin Voss (Nazareth Academy/Elmhurst, IL) suffered a concussion late in the contest that would prevent her from playing for approximately two weeks. Voss had scored 6 of the Saints' 14 goals in their first seven matches of the season and her absence left a big hole in the Saints' lineup on Saturday.

Voss was not the only missing player. The Saints had already lost senior defender Chelsea Wagner (Eaton H.S./Eaton, OH) for the season with an ankle injury, as well as reserve midfielder Roxy Camacho (Our Lady of Tepayec H.S./Chicago, IL) with a leg injury. Junior starting defender Samantha Danuser (Collinsville H.S./Collinsville, IL) is out indefinitely with a sore back so the Saints' bench is extremely limited.

Still, USF battled Goshen (5-3) down to the wire.  Senior midfielder Caitlin Byrnes (Plainfield South H.S./Joliet, IL) scored one USF goal with freshman midfielder Amber Zukowski (Andrew H.S./Tinley Park, IL) adding the other one.

The Saints matched Goshen with 7 shots on goal with Zukowski accounting for 5 of them. Byrnes had her goal on one of the other two shots on goal and freshman forward Delaney Goddard (Romeoville H.S./Romeoville, IL) added the other one.

Both USF goals were unassisted.

Senior goalkeeper Ashley Kekelik (T.F. South H.S./Lansing, IL) had 4 saves in the game and played the entire 90 minutes.

The Saints return home on Tuesday to play Illinois Tech in a CCAC contest at 4 p.m. at the Galowich YMCA fields in west Joliet.