Saint Francis downs Sacred Heart 2-0 in conference opener
Loretto, Pa. - The defending conference champion Saint Francis women's soccer team (4-6-1, 1-0 NEC) opened NEC play strong in 2017 with a 2-0 win over Sacred Heart (3-8, 0-1 NEC) at the Stokes SoccerPlex on Friday afternoon.
Van Stralen's Reaction
"It is always good to start conference with three points," said head coach
Brenda van Stralen. "In the first half we were able to connect and play really pretty soccer. The second half was a battle. I am proud of the team for fighting over the final 45 minutes to get the shutout."
Turning Point
The Pioneers were put in a hole almost immediately when senior
Leah Hardin (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) was taken down in the penalty area. Senior
Gabi Morales (Madrid, Spain/Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac), the reigning NEC Player of the Year, stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty to give SFU a 1-0 lead.
Highlights
- After Morales's goal, the Red Flash continued to put pressure on the Pioneer back line. Sophomore Alyssa McGhee (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle), who was a handful all evening long, combined nicely with sophomore forward Abigail Tarosky (North Huntington, Pa./Norwin) midway through the first half. The chance resulted in a difficult save off a Tarosky shot.
- Barnett doubled the lead in the 41st minute with her first career goal. Freshman Mariana Jaleca (Sebtubal, Portugal/) showed patience on top of the opponent's box, slipping in an overlapping McGhee down the left. McGhee took a nicely-weighted touch towards goal and spotted a free Barnett in front who tapped it in. Jaleca recorded her first career point with the assist while McGhee notched her team-leading fifth assist of the season.
- Junior Sara Suler (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) nearly tacked on a third Red Flash goal early in the second half with a rip on goal from 25 yards out, but it was met by a diving save by Sacred Heart goalkeeper Nicole Sambuca.
- Sacred Heart had a flurry of scoring chances with 20 minutes to play. A Pioneer heads was cleared to safety by junior defender Shannon McGinnis (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and a volley from eighteen yards out moments later went just over the bar.
- Saint Francis pieced together one more attack in the 82nd minute as McGhee found Morales making a near post run. Morales redirected a firm shot on goal that was turned aside by a sprawling Sambuca.
Notes
- Sacred Heart recorded a 15-12 edge in shots but shots on goal were 6-2 in favor of the Red Flash.
- Morales and Barnett led the way with three shots and two shots on goal.
- Corner kicks were even at 3-3.
- Sophomore Julia Hernan (Collegeville, Pa./The Hill School) made two saves for her fourth shutout of the season. Three of the four clean sheets have come at home.
- Saint Francis has won four straight conference matches dating back to last season. Its last loss was to Sacred Heart in double overtime on Oct. 21.
- Saint Francis has played 270 minutes on its home field without scoring a goal.
- The Red Flash have won four straight conference matches dating back to last season.
- Saint Francis is now 4-0-1 when scoring two goals or more.
Up Next
The Red Flash try to make it a perfect weekend on Sunday when it hosts Bryant at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs defeated Robert Morris 2-1 in double overtime in their conference opener
