Rockville Centre, N.Y. – On the back of three first-half goals, the Molloy women's soccer team defeated the Wildcats of Daemen, 3-0, Saturday afternoon in their East Coast Conference opener at John A. Darcy Field. The Lions improve to 3-4-1 overall and 1-0 in ECC play, while the Wildcats move to 1-5-1 overall and 0-1 in league play.
How it Happened
- The Lions nearly took the lead just 17 seconds into the contest, as junior Jana Strait fired a shot following the opening kickoff that was saved by Wildcats goalkeeper Rylee Kumer.
- The fifth minute saw the road team generate their first shot on goal that was comfortably saved by senior goalkeeper Elyse Muñoz.
- Daemen channeled a second scoring chance in the 17th minute, forcing Muñoz to make a save.
- Molloy struck in the 21st minute. Junior Sarah Cavallo streaked down the right side, sending in a cross to the box. Strait faked a touch and allowed it to go through her legs before finding junior Bella Juliano, who buried it to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
- Three minutes later, Strait put together a strong finish off a feed from freshman Ysabelle Perillo to give the Lions a two-goal lead.
- Five minutes later, the road team looked for an opportunity to cut the lead in half, but once again Muñoz was there to make a save.
- In the 34th minute, Juliano took a corner kick and found Strait at the far post for a tap in header to give the Lions a commanding 3-0 lead.
- The road team had their best chance to score in the 36th minute. Following a cross into the 18-yard, a shot from Taylor Fiegel was cleared from the goal line by a member of the Molloy defense before Muñoz would make a save to keep the Wildcats off the board.
- Molloy would go on to total five shots in the final nine minutes of the half and take a 3-0 lead into halftime.
- The second half would see the Lions dominate possession and hold the Wildcats to just one shot as they would go on and clinch a 3-0 victory.
Top Performances
- Strait tied a career-high two goals and four points while totaling a career-high nine shots and five shots on goal.
- Juliano totaled three points on the back of one goal and one assist.
- Perillo dished out her second assist of the season.
- In goal, Muñoz made six saves to collect her third shutout and clean sheet of the season.
Up Next
The Lions step out of conference play Wednesday, September 23 for a non-conference tilt against Pace at John A. Darcy Field. The contest is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.
