Box Score ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Sept. 4, 2015) - The Molloy College women's soccer team started their 2015 campaign with a 0-0 draw versus Bentley in the Molloy Labor Day Weekend Tournament on Friday at the Dean G. Skelos Sports Complex.
In front of a thunderous crowd of maroon and white supporters, the Lions could not muster any offensive chances until late in the first half, as the Falcons held a distinct shot advantage throughout the first 45 minutes. Bentley junior defender Haley Story (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) registered the game's first shot in the 12th minute, but it was saved by junior
Gabrielle Batista (Hicksville, N.Y.). Batista, who was making her first career start in net for Molloy, would make three more saves in the first half to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard. Molloy had opportunities, but three corner kicks in the opening frame yielded no quality offensive chances. Meanwhile, the Lions were held shotless until the 40th minute, when sophomore midfielder
Erica Coppola (
Plainview, N.Y.) had her effort blocked by the opposing defense.
Batista would make three more saves in the second half for Molloy, but it was the offense that roared back to set up some wonderful chances in the last few moments of regulation. In the 86th minute, junior forward
Danielle Valente (South Setauket, N.Y.) possessed the ball deep inside of Bentley's box off of a miscue, but her attempt on goal rolled wide. Valente would get a second chance just one minute later, but her shot bent right into the waiting arms of keeper Deirdre Macrorie (Winchester, Mass.). In the final minute of the half, freshman middie
Dominique Capolongo (Islip, N.Y.) charged into the box and looked to etch her name onto the scoresheet with the match-winner, but again it was Macrorie standing tall.
Momentum stayed clearly on the side of the home team into the overtime frame, yet Molloy was unable to capitalize on the changing of the tides. The Lions would outshoot their opponents by a combined 5-0 margin in the two overtime periods, but four of those efforts were either blocked or sent wide of the cage. The fifth chance, coming from the foot of senior attacking midfielder
Alicia Mercurio (Williston Park, N.Y.) was corraled by Macrorie in the 95th minute.
Valente led all players with five shots in the full 120 minutes, but only registered one shot on goal in the contest. Highlighting the defensive effort for Molloy were freshman
Amanda Milazzo (Setauket, N.Y.), juniors
Gianna Jennosa (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) and
Courtney Noakes (Levittown, N.Y.), and red-shirt senior
Annette Mims (Patchogue, N.Y.). Mims, in particular, made several clattering defensive challenges at the top of the box to keep Bentley's offense from getting any closer to goal. Additionally, Noakes kept Bentley off the scoresheet when her goalkeeper was out of position by clearing the ball off the back line for a critical defensive save. On the back line, Batista made six saves to earn the shutout for the maroon and white.
The Molloy College women's soccer team will next face Merrimack on Sunday (Sept. 6) at 2 p.m. in the last game of the Molloy Labor Day Weekend Tournament. The Warriors (1-0) are coming off of a wild 3-2 victory over Dowling in the first game of the invitational in Rockville Centre on Friday.
