No. 2 Minnesota State-Mankato 7, Sioux Falls 0
MANKATO, Minn. -- Six different players entered the scoring column as second-ranked Minnesota State defeated the Sioux Falls 7-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action at The Pitch on Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks now stand 14-1-0 overall and 12-0-0 in NSIC play and are a riding an 11-match winning streak, while the Cougars fall to 2-12-1 on the year and 2-9-1 within the conference. The Purple and Gold also stretches its NSIC and home unbeaten streaks to 32 matches which are 13th and tied for 11th all-time, respectively, in NCAA Division II history. MSU's conference unbeaten streak is the all-time NSIC record.
Minnesota State got on the board just two minutes into the match as senior Courtney Vallarelli tallied her fourth goal of the year after a centering pass from sophomore Korey Kronforst. Kronforst added a goal in the eighth minute giving the Mavericks a 2-0 cushion at the half. At the intermission, MSU held a 13-3 advantage in shots and a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal.
The Mavericks came out aggressive in the second half as Kronforst scored her second goal of the match in the 56th minute. The marker was Kronforst's league-leading 16th goal of the season. Freshman Kiana Nickel gave MSU a 4-0 lead against USF scoring off a pass from junior Sydney Temple in the 68th minute. Senior Tori Meinhardt scored just two minutes later in the 70th minute, her fourth goal of the season.
Minnesota tallied two more goals in the final ten minutes of play. The first came from freshman Maddy Smith in the 82nd minute off of junior Rebecca Pederson's pass to the middle. Freshman Karissa Prpich scored her first goal as a Maverick in the 84th minute to round out the scoring giving MSU the 7-0 win.
Senior Brittany Cygan recorded her second career shutout, saving three shots during the match.
No. 3 Saint Rose 3, Stonehill 1
ALBANY N.Y. -- Saint Rose rebounded from an early scare to upend Northeast-10 Conference rival Stonehill 3-1 on Saturday at Sullivan Field at the Plumeri Sports Complex.
The Skyhawks (5-9-2/5-6-1 NE-10) scored in the opening minute, but the Golden Knights (14-0-2/10-0-2) dictated the pace the rest of the way to remain unbeaten. Saint Rose, ranked No. 3 in the current NSCAA coaches' poll, used its familiar balanced attack to engineer a 19-3 shot advantage and a 10-0 corner kick differential, while surrendering its first goal in NE-10 action this year.
Five different players figured in the scoring for the Golden Knights. Freshman midfielder Emily Meeks, senior midfielder Sydney Bond and sophomore midfielder Kristin Carr all found the back of the net. Sophomore back Nicole Shively and junior back La'Quilla Upton each picked up an assist.
Between the posts, senior keeper Jessica Gerski made both of her saves in the second half while senior Amy Wheaton made three saves in each period for Stonehill, which had its two-game win streak snapped.
The Skyhawks forced Saint Rose to play from behind for the first time all year when junior forward Renee Trudeau one-touched home a cross into the far left side off the foot of fellow junior forward Megan Sullivan.
However, the Golden Knights immediately stepped up the pressure by generating the game's ensuing nine shots before Meeks potted a corner from the left flag with 36:38 gone by. Less than three minutes later, Bond converted a feed from Shively off a set piece near midfield with her team-leading 10th goal this autumn for what proved to be the game-winner. Carr then touched home a pass from Upton in the area at the 86:44 mark to close out the scoring.
No. 6 California (Pa.) 3, East Stoudsburg 0
CALIFORNIA, Pa. -- Three different Vulcans notched goals as the No. 6 California (Pa.) team knocked off East Stroudsburg 3-0 Saturday afternoon at the Phillipsburg Soccer Facility.
The win improves Cal U to 13-1 (39 points) in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play and 13-2-1 overall this season. The win helps the Vulcans maintain a two-point lead for first place in the PSAC ahead of No. 15 Slippery Rock. The Rock earned a 1-0 win against West Chester on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Warriors fall to 7-6-2 in league play and 8-6-2 overall.
Sophomore Janelle McCann notched the Vulcans' first goal of the game in the 27th minute when she took a pass from junior Haley Henderson and put the ball in the back of the net from just beyond the goalie box to give Cal U a 1-0 lead.
The Vulcans extended their lead with just under four minutes left in the first half on an unassisted goal from sophomore Kara Novotny to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
California added another insurance marker midway through the second half when junior Chelsea Crockett put home a rebounded shot to give the Vulcans a 3-0 edge.
Junior Ashley Magruda and junior Kristin Baierbach combined to shutout East Stroudsburg, with Magruda picking up a save on the lone shot on net. The Vulcans have shutout opponents 12 times this season and allowed one goal in the last 12 games combined.
California outshot the Warriors 14-2 for the match and held did not allow East Stroudsburg to attempt a shot in the first half.
No. 8 American International 4, Southern New Hampshire 0
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â A balanced scoring attack was key as eighth-ranked American International (13-1-1, 10-1-1 NE-10) topped the defending Northeast-10 champion Southern New Hampshire (7-6-3, 4-5-3 NE-10) by a 4-0 score on Saturday afternoon.
The Jackets jumped out to an early lead thanks to the team's two leading scorers combining on a play. Senior back Alie Fitzsimmons threw in to junior forward Sonia Basma, who cut across the middle and fired the ball top right at 13:45.
AIC doubled the lead shortly thereafter when senior forward Mariah Shade flicked a ball at the target from the right wing that deflected in off of senior goalkeeper Samantha Whittier at 20:31.
The home team then extended its lead to 3-0 when senior forward Caroline Boyce flicked a cross over the top to sophomore forward Alyssa Werbicki for a tap-in at the left post at 37:30.
AIC added a fourth goal in the second half when Shade fired a low blast into a diving Whittier; the rebound came to freshman midfielder Ophelie Brevet for an easy putback at 62:39.
