NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team dominated on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Bulldogs of Dean College by a final score of 6-1 on their home turf. Senior Katherine Raposo (Warwick, R.I.) led the Falcons attack with her second hat trick of the season.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Albertus Magnus 6 | Dean 1
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (8-5, 6-4 GNAC) | Dean (3-7-2, 3-7)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons came out ready to play on Homecoming Weekend, roaring out of the gate to start the first half. The offensive unit, led by Raposo, Erina Ismaili (Middlebury, Conn.), and Haley Andrews (Prospect, Conn.), peppered Bulldogs goalkeeper Haley Gaunt with a barrage of shots, tallying six shots on goal over the first 15 minutes, with the last from Raposo finding the back of the net for the first score of the match.
The Bulldogs took control of the ball at the 24th-minute, ripping off a pair of shots that were both saved by Falcon keeper, Michelle Mecca (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.). The Falcons added to their advantage five minutes later, when Keegan Riccio (West Haven, Conn.) found a wide-open Andrews hovering near the goal post on a corner kick. Andrews wasted no time taking the pass from Riccio and sending a laser past Gaunt to give the Falcons the 2-0 lead.
Albertus continued to pressure the Bulldogs, ripping off another six shots over the following 10 minutes. With the clock down to its final 10 seconds, Dean cut the deficit in half on a goal from Jasmine Sztyler-Magee to send the teams into the halftime break with the Falcons leading 2-1.
Albertus wasted no time in the second half, scoring their third goal in less than a minute. Jordan Kikosicki (East Haven, Conn.) gained control of the ball quickly and tore up the field, dribbling through the Bulldogs' defender with ease, before finding a wide-open Raposo near the net, who laid the pass into the goal for the easy score and increasing the hosts' advantage to 3-1.
The Falcons continued to apply heavy pressure on the Bulldogs, with Raposo launching another pair of shots, with one wide and one blocked, and Riccio taking a pair of corner kicks. At the 55-minute mark, Andrews once again found herself wide open with the ball and took off up the pitch towards the pipes, with Raposo mirroring her on the opposite side of the field. The Andrews pass was all Raposo needed to gain the hat trick, as she fired the sphere past Gaunt to give the Falcons the 4-1 lead.
The teams battled back-and-forth for the ball for the next 18 minutes, before the blue-and-white struck again. Jaidyn Gillette (Putnam, Conn.) took control of the ball at the 73-minute mark and took off, before finding teammate Tyana Jack (Bridgeport, Conn.). Jack didn't disappoint, taking the pass and rifling it into the net for her second goal of the season.
The Falcons added an insurance goal with a little over 10 minutes left in the match, as Ashley Shaw (Milford, Conn.) scored an unassisted goal to give the hosts' a five-goal lead. The Bulldogs were unable to respond, and the match ended in a 6-1 Falcons victory.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
- Albertus: Michelle Mecca (7-4): 4 Shots on Goal | 1 Goals-Against | 3 Saves
- Dean: Haley Gaunt (3-7-2): 6 Shots on Goal | 2 Goals-Against | 4 Saves
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Falcons out-shot the Bulldogs by a 34-4 margin.
- Albertus held the advantage in corner kicks, 8-0.
- The Bulldogs tallied 14 saves to the Falcons three.
NOTEWORTHY
- Mecca recorded her 80th save of the season in today's victory.
- Raposo has scored five goals in the last two games.
- Jack and Shaw both tallied their second goals of the season.
- Gillette's assist was her second of the season.
- Coach Wajnowski recorded his 128th career victory.
UP NEXT
The women's soccer team will return to the pitch on Wednesday, Oct. 20, for a GNAC showdown against Anna Maria in Paxton, Mass. Kick-off is set for 4:00 PM
