LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's soccer team passed a test with flying colors on Friday afternoon as the Red Flash defeated Bryant, 3-0, at Stokes Soccerplex. Both teams entered Friday's game with 2-0 records in the Northeast Conference, and the Flash was the one that left with a perfect conference record intact.
 
The Red Flash blitzed the Bulldogs in the first half, outshooting Bryant, 18-2. All of those opportunities translated into goals in the early going. Paige Butler (Osprey, Fla./Venice) got the Flash on the board with her second goal of the season in the 12th minute. She gathered in a rebound after a hard shot from Casey Gallaher (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) was stopped, and she beat Bryant keeper Kaylan Conrad from inside the box to make it 1-0. The Flash was able to grab the advantage thanks to goalkeeper Romina Kunze (Frankfurt, Germany/Carl-von-Weinberg-Schule) keeping Bryant off the board just before the Butler goal. Shea Williams had a golden opportunity after a free kick from point blank range on the left side. Kunze made a great stop to keep the game scoreless until Butler's goal just two minutes later. Gallaher and Butler each had four shots.
 
SFU held a 4-0 corner kick advantage in the first half, and one of those kicks doubled the Red Flash lead less than three minutes after Butler's goal. Gabi Morales (Madrid, Spain/Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac) placed a perfect chance in front of the Bryant goal, and Shannon McGinnis (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) rose above the defense to redirect the corner kick with a header past Conrad to make it 2-0. The goal is the freshman's first of her career.
 
Morales had a great chance in the 29th minute to make it 3-0, but Conrad punched her shot from just beyond the box over the crossbar. In the final 12 minutes of the half, Morales nearly connected with Allison LaDuke (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) twice on long passes into the box. Each time, though, LaDuke's header couldn't find the mark. Morales led the Flash with seven shots while LaDuke had four.
 
The Flash held its commanding lead throughout the second half, and Saint Francis added to the advantage in the 72nd minute. Brittany Hasson (Leola, Pa./Warwick) beat Conrad high, but the ball hit the crossbar. The rebound came straight back out to Gallaher, and she scored her third goal in as many games to make it 3-0.
 
The shots evened out in the second half, with the Flash holding a 6-5 lead. Bryant never really threatened the Flash advantage however, as Kunze only had to make one save in the final 45 minutes. For the match, SFU outshot Bryant, 24-7, while holding an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Saint Francis continues NEC play on Sunday with a home match against Sacred Heart at noon.