By Tony Miller
Sports Information Director

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. — Two-time reigning Crossroads League player of the year Bethany Balcer scored twice in the first half Saturday evening as second-ranked Spring Arbor University knocked off the Goshen College women's soccer team 5-0 at the rain-soaked Cougar Soccer Complex.

Spring Arbor (13-1, 5-0 Crossroads League) held Goshen to four shots over 90 minutes while peppering the Goshen back line with 31 attempts. The Cougars got on the board first from a corner kick in the seventh minute, when Renee Broekhuizen served a ball in for a goal by Kaley Buck, while Balcer would add unassisted tallies in the 18th and 32nd minutes to put her team up 3-0 at halftime.

Goshen (3-8-2, 0-4-1) put all four of its attempts on target, where Allison Keizer saved them, but wouldn't get one after Caitlin Hughey's try with 36 minutes to play. Spring Arbor added two more insurance goals after halftime: Morgan Marshall finished Buck's cross on her first touch four minutes after the intermission while Lauren Orr scored on Marshall's assist with 11:25 remaining.

The teams combined to make 33 substitutions after halftime: the Maple Leafs dipped into their bench for nine players to Spring Arbor's seven. Goshen also suffered two-thirds of the match's 15 fouls while Spring Arbor took all 12 corner kicks.

Katie Baer made seven saves in net for the Maple Leafs, raising her season total to 79 and leaving her within 11 stops of cracking the top 10 career totals in Maple Leaf history as a freshman. Keizer went the distance in goal for the hosts as a rain band soaked the facility with an inch of water during the two-hour match.

Despite the loss, Goshen remains two points (two-thirds the value of a win) shy of the last berth in the Crossroads League tournament: Saint Francis lost 1-0 at Grace, while Bethel's match against Indiana Wesleyan was abandoned at halftime because of inclement weather. Spring Arbor remains alone atop the league table, two points clear of Marian.

Goshen visits Taylor at 7 p.m. Wednesday before coming home to meet Mount Vernon Nazarene in the "Think Pink" match for breast cancer awareness at 2 p.m. Saturday.