NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team cruised to a 7-2 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory over Rivier University on Saturday afternoon at Celentano Field.
The Falcons had five players tally goals in the high-scoring contest, led by Katherine Raposo (Warwick, R.I.) with a hat trick, tying a career-high for the senior.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Albertus Magnus 7 | Rivier 2
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (2-2, 1-1 GNAC) | Rivier (0-3, 0-2 GNAC)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons began this afternoon's scoring onslaught in the 16th minute when Raposo netted her first of three goals. Haley Andrews (Prospect, Conn.) dribbled the ball into the corner before finding Raposo in the box, where she deked one defender before slamming the ball into the keeper's hands and into the back of the net.
Andrews took little time to score a goal of her own in the 21st minute. Keegan Riccio (West Haven, Conn.) sparked the game's second tally on a corner kick that soared into the center of the box, where Andrews sent a header over the hands of goalie Emily Mikelson to give the home team a 2-0 advantage.
After a Raiders' tally at the 26:01 mark, Albertus rebuilt its lead to two goals, 3-1, after Erina Ismaili (Middlebury, Conn.) pitched a beauty into the top-right corner of the cage. Morgan Violette (North Branford, Conn.) earned the assist on the 30th-minute goal.
The Falcons scored two more times before the halftime break to take a 5-1 advantage into the second half. Raposo found the goal first after cleaning up a Tyana Jack (Bridgeport, Conn.) saved shot. Then, Emmalee Ianniello (Hamden, Conn.) netted the fifth goal, sneaking a shot through the goalie's arms.
Albertus started the second half like they ended the first, with Raposo tallying her fourth and final goal of the game 3:49 into the stanza. Ismaili found a wide-open Raposo in the box when she pitched a shot into the top-right corner to put the Falcons up 5-1.
Following a Rivier goal, Albertus iced today's impressive win with a Jack score off a corner kick. Riccio netted her second assist of the day, sending a ball into the box that bounced once before Jack tipped it in to settle the score at 6-2 in favor of the Falcons.
Michelle Mecca (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) earned her second collegiate win between the pipes for the Falcons, recording one save, while allowing two goals.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus: Michelle Mecca (W, 2-2): 3 Shots on Goal | 2 Goals-Against | 1 Saves
Rivier: Emily Mikelson (L, 0-3): 9 Shot on Goal | 5 Goals-Against | 4 Saves
Rivier: Maya Puma: 6 Shots on Goal | 2 Goals-Against | 4 Saves
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Albertus dominated offensively, outshooting the Raiders 27-6.
• The Falcons also won the battle in corner kicks, 6-2.
• Raposo finished today's game with a team-high six shots, including five shots on goal and a hat trick.
• Jack also served as an offensive threat for the Falcons, tallying five shots, while Ashely Shaw and Ianniello added four shots apiece.
• The Raiders' six shot attempts came from Magoon and Olivia Maxwell.
NOTEWORTHY
• Raposo tied a career-high with a hat trick.
• Raposo leads the Falcons with four goals in 2021.
• Jack's goal is the first of her collegiate career.
• Andrews netted her first goal as a senior.
• Ianniello has scored a goal in three of four games this season and is second on the team with three.
• Ismaili has scored in back-to-back games and has five points on two goals and an assist as a sophomore.
UP NEXT
The women's soccer team takes on the Regis College (Mass.) Pride on Saturday, Sept. 18, for a road showdown. The opening kick-off is set for 12:00 PM.
