Led by three first-half goals, the Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team cruised to a 3-0 victory over Coast Guard in non-conference action on Friday afternoon. Shelley Mirmina (Milford, Conn.) scored the first goal of the contest, the eventual game-winner, to tally her fourth career goal.
Christina Dineson (Milford, Conn.) recorded nine saves in her first shutout of the season. The junior, who finished 2011 with 67 saves, now has 123 in her career.
Albertus took control early in the non-league match-up, scoring three goals in the first 26 minutes of the contest before Coast Guard outshot the Falcons 11-9 in the frame.
Mirmina put the Falcons (1-0-0) ahead early with her first goal of the year in the 11th minute after receiving a pass from Kelly Marchitto (West Haven, Conn.) in the left side of the box. Brittany Ross (Ansonia, Conn.) came off the bench to tally the Falcons' second goal of the afternoon as she collected the rebound off an initial shot of her own and sent it over the diving goalkeeper.
Team captain Meghan Loughman (Trumbull, Conn.) followed with a goal in the 26th minute as Becky Slivinsky (Plainville, Conn.) and Shannon Skidmore (Terryville, Conn.) used two quick one-touch passes to reach Loughman, who chipped the ball over the keeper to extend the Falcons' lead.
Albertus controlled the tempo in the second half of play as the Falcons' outshot the Bears (0-1-0) 13-8 in the frame for a final advantage of 22-19. Dineson recorded five of her nine saves in the first half. Coast Guard's Devin Fellman recorded four saves in 90 minutes of play, while she allowed three goals.
Albertus will host Bard College on Sunday, Sept. 2 in a 1:00 p.m. contest. The non-conference match-up will mark the second contest in the Falcons' five-game home stand.
