No. 2 Western Washington 3, Sain Martin's 0
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Forward Kristin Maris scored a goal and assisted on another as Western Washington picked up its sixth shutout in seven games this season with a 3-0 victory against Saint Martin's on Saturday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest at Orca Field on the Whatcom CC campus.
The Vikings, ranked No. 2 nationally in this week's NSCAA coaches' poll, improved to 7-0-0 overall and 4-0-0 in conference play. SMU, which has yet to play at home this season, fell to 2-5-0 overall and 1-3-0 in league action.
Playing the first half with a stiff wind at their backs, the Vikings did not allow a shot attempt on the way to taking a 2-0 halftime lead. Catherine Miles opened the scoring in the fourth minute with her team-leading fifth goal of the season, finding herself alone just outside the penalty area after a pass from Maris and then hitting a clever chip just under the crossbar.
Delaney Nilles got the second goal in the 24th minute. After a corner kick, the ball popped out of a goalmouth scramble, and Nilles, standing still, placed a looping header into the left side of the net from 12 yards.
Maris then added insurance against the wind less than three minutes into the second half, finishing off a low cross from Elise Aylward for her fourth goal of the year, all of them in the previous three games.
The Vikings had a 17-5 advantage in shot attempts, with an 8-0 margin with the wind in the first half and a 9-5 edge against it in the second.
The victory was the fifth in a row in the series for the Vikings, who hold a 10-2-1 advantage.
Goalkeepers Alyssa Beauchamp and Ashley Haden combined for three saves as WWU notched its sixth shutout in seven matches. The only goal that the Vikings have given up this year was an own goal.
No. 3 Saint Rose 2, Franklin Pierce 0
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Saint Rose scored once late in each half and ran its season-long shutout streak to seven matches behind a 2-0 Northeast-10 Conference victory versus Franklin Pierce on Saturday afternoon at Sullivan Field at the Plumeri Sports Complex.
The Golden Knights (7-0-0/4-0-0 NE-10), ranked third in the most recent NSCAA coaches' poll, outshot the Ravens (3-3-2/2-2-1 NE-10) 22-4, including 15-1 in the second half, and generated six corner kicks without yielding any. Franklin Pierce manufactured three of the matches' initial four shots during the opening 15 minutes, but Saint Rose controlled the pace the rest of the way.
Freshman forward Sammy Blizzard scored the game winner in the 36th minute and senior midfielder Sydney Bond added an insurance marker in the 85th with her team-leading fifth strike of the season. Senior keeper Jessica Gerski recorded three saves for the Golden Knights while sophomore Katie Weldon made five of her seven stops after halftime for Franklin Pierce.
Senior midfielder Laura Taylor ignited the scoring when she sent in a through ball that Blizzard touched home in the middle of the area to make it 1-0 Golden Knights. Sophomore midfielder Amanda Vasquez then created space on the right flank and delivered a short cross that Bond touched home.
No. 4 Tampa 1, Florida Southern 0
LAKELAND, Fla. — Fourth-ranked Tampa (9-0) defeated Florida Southern (1-4-3) by a score of 1-0 on Saturday night at Barnett Field.
The 2013 squad extends the school record for most consecutive wins to begin the season and is one victory away from the record for consecutive wins overall at 10.
It was a hard-fought defensive battle throughout the first half, as Tampa outshot Florida Southern with six shots to zero. Keeper Alyson Gregorowicz did not see any action in the goal. UT registered three shots on goal and five corner kicks in the period.
The Spartans struck first, scoring three minutes into the second half. Gabby Russo sent a cross into the box that was headed into the air by Emily Jones. Cici Gonzalez played the ball into the back of the net and scored on a header that got past a diving Erin Moseley for the Mocs.
Tampa would hold the lead for the remainder of the half and held on for the 1-0 victory. The Spartans outshot the Mocs six to three in the period, with three on goal. Gregorowicz saved the only shot on goal and earned her third consecutive shutout of the season. She is now 4-0 since taking over goalkeeping duties.
Gonzalez lead all Spartans with five shots and three on goal. Russo, Jenny Karl, and Audrey Hayward each registered two shots in the game for Tampa.
UT concluded the match with eight corner kicks to FSC’s one. Both teams played tough defensively with the Mocs registering 13 fouls compared to 12 for the Spartans.
No. 6 Minnesota State-Mankato 5, Minnesota State-Moorhead 0
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Sophomore Korey Kronforst and freshman Maddy Smith each scored a pair of goals as sixth-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato cruised to a 5-0 road victory against Minnesota State-Moorhead in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition Saturday afternoon at the MSUM Soccer Field.
The Mavericks move to 6-1-0 overall, 4-0-0 in the NSIC and extend their conference unbeaten streak to 24 matches, the 16th longest in NCAA Division II history. MSU-Moorhead drops to 0-6-0 overall and 0-4-0 in league play.
Smith picked up right where she left off last weekend netting her second career goal - unassisted - in the 39th minute to give Minnesota State a lead it would not relinquish. At halftime, MSU-Mankato held a 14-4 advantage in shots and a 7-1 lead in shots on goal.
The second half was all MSU-Mankato as the Mavericks scored four markers in the final 45 minutes. Kronforst opened the scoring barrage with her third goal of the year in the 50th minute off a pass from freshman Emily Erickson and followed that with her second of the match in the 59th minute. Junior Rebecca Pederson beat Dragon senior Carole Braschayko for her second goal in as many games in the 65th minute, before Smith capped the victory with her second goal of the day courtesy of an assist by freshman Kiana Nickel in the 89th minute.
Sophomore Lauren Hoeppner earned her first career win by making one save in 45 minutes in net, while Braschayko posted a match-high 10 saves for the Dragons. In all, Minnesota State-Mankato held a 34-5 advantage in shots and an 11-3 edge in corner kicks on the afternoon.
No. 7. North Georgia 4, Georgia College 2
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Seventh-ranked North Georgia scored four first-half goals and picked up its second consecutive Peach Belt Conference road win with a 4-2 league victory at Georgia College on Saturday. Senior forward Kelly Penston was involved with all of the Nighthawks scores as she tallied the game winner and assisted on all three of UNG's other goals.
It took UNG less than a minute to set the tone for the game when Kassidy Freeman found the back of the net just 0:59 into the game with the assist coming off the foot of Penston. The goal was Freeman's second of the season. The sophomore forward would not need long to find her second goal when she used another Penston helper at the 3:19 mark to extend the UNG lead to 2-0. In the 11th minute Penston would score her team-best seventh goal of the year on a break away to stretch the Nighthawks' lead to 3-0. The goal marks her third game winner of the season.
Georgia College would cut into the lead when Abby Dalton would take a pass from Cayce Hamilton and slip it past UNG goalie Mallory Sayre at the 14:04 mark. UNG would then tack on a fourth goal before intermission when Molly Arrendale netted her first first career goal with Penston credited with her third helper of the day.
GC would wrap the game's scoring in the 78th minute when Ashley Veilleux would score on an assist from Dalton.
The game's shots were all square with both teams taking 17 total shots including eight apiece before halftime. GC held a slight 5-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Sayre moved to 6-1 on the season after stopping six of the eight shots the Bobcats were able to put on frame.
The win marks the program's sixth consecutive as the Nighthawks improve to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in PBC play. Georgia College falls to 4-5 overall and 1-3 in league play.
No. 8 American International 2, Bentley 0
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Eighth-ranked American International outlasted a tough Bentley goalkeeper for a 2-0 win on Saturday afternoon at Abdow Field.
With the win the Yellow Jackets improve to 7-0-0, 5-0-0 in the Northeast-10, while Bentley falls to 2-5-0 overall and 1-4-0 in conference play.
AIC had a plethora of opportunities, outshooting the Falcons 37-4 (19-3 on goal), but Bentley's junior goalkeeper Christiana Hynds made some spectacular stops to keep the Yellow Jacket attack frustrated. Hynds made 16 saves overall.
Senior midfielder Roxy Lee-Stewart was able to blast one past Hynds when a header by junior forward Sonia Basma clanged off the cross bar at the feet of Stewart, catching the goalie out of place for her first score of the season in the 11th minute.
It would remain 1-0 for 73 minutes of show-stopping Hynds saves before senior forward Caroline Boyce corralled a Lee-Stewart shot off the post for her sixth of the year.
The defense once again stood tall in front of junior goalie Sam Tabak, who grabbed her sixth shutout of the season, making three saves.
Mercyhurst 3, No. 9 Millersville 1
ERIE, Pa. -- Three late goals propelled Mercyhurst to a 3-1 victory against No. 9 Millersville on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Lakers improved to 4-3-1 in the season, and 3-3-1 in the PSAC. Millersville dropped to 5-2-1 in the season, and 4-2-1 in the PSAC.
With the victory, the Lakers are now 2-0-0 when facing a nationally ranked team. Earlier this season Mercyhurst upset then-No. 21 Gannon University 3-1.
Millersville's Victoria Kramer scored at the 42:16 mark of the match after beating Lakers goaltender Ellie McDougall to the bottom left corner of the net. Megan Kelley notched the assist.
After the first half, the Lakers were being outshot 7-6 and were down 1-0. However it was Mercyhurst who tallied three goals to capture the 3-1 win.
Freshman Carly Zimmerman was the first of three Lakers to tally a goal for Mercyhurst. Freshman Stephanie Drago headed the ball wide but just in front of Zimmerman on the left side of the goal. Zimmerman headed the ball behind Marauders' goaltender Olivia Webber to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead. The goal also marked Zimmerman's first goal of the season. Junior Janine Wong also notched an assist.
Senior Perrin Kern scored the game-winning goal at the 69:24 mark of the contest. The Lakers were awarded a corner kick, which junior Janine Wong took for Mercyhurst. Wong placed the ball directly through the keeper's box, for Kern to head the ball past Webber.
Sophomore Allie Cornacchia sealed the 3-1 win with a goal late in the second half. Sophomore Fawn Mulholland drew Webber from her net, then passed the ball through the penalty box and Cornacchia an open net.
In the upset, Millersville outshot the Lakers 15 to 13 throughout the entire contest. McDougall (4-3-1) made seven saves in net for the Lakers and allowed one. Webber (2-2-0) suffered the loss for Millersville, allowing three goals on seven shots.
