The women’s soccer team sure knows how to end the regular season with a bang. With two games this past week, the Lions came out victorious in both and are entering post-season play with high hopes.
The first game of the week came on Wednesday against Stevens Institute of Technology in which the Lions won 3-0. This was the Lions’ last non-conference game of the season, lifting their record to 13-1-1.
The first goal of the game came with 13:21 into the game from sophomore defender Jordan Downs, who netted the ball with one long kick. With some great defense keeping the ball out of the Lions’ territory, the score remained at 1-0 until junior forward Katie Lindacher assisted senior forward Katie Landrigan for the second goal for the Lions, making it 2-0.
With 2:58 left in the second half of the game, Lindacher scored after a corner kick, bumping the team’s lead and winning score to 3-0.
The Lions were very close to scoring again from a penalty kick in the last few minutes of the game. However, a fantastic save made by the Ducks’ goalie kept the score at 3-0. Sophomore goalie Kendra Griffith grabbed her seventh save of the season.
With the last non-conference game out of the way for the team, they came out ready to tackle the New Jersey University Gothic Knights Saturday afternoon. The Lions clobbered the Gothic Knights 6-0, propelling them to a 6-1-1 record within the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
With 8:44 into the game, junior midfielder Sloan DePiero assisted Lindacher with the first goal of the game. Then with 22:13 into that period, senior defense Brenna Rubino assisted senior forward Allyson Anderson with the second goal, making it 2-0. Six minutes later, capitalizing on a penalty kick, Jordan Downs bumped the score to 3-0.
In the second period, the Lions didn’t stop the momentum. Sophomore forward Korrie Harkins scored her fourth goal of the season and the fourth goal of the game. The next two goals came from sophomore forward Leigh Applestein and freshman midfielder Emma Culleton. Applestein led the game with a total of nine shots, adding extensively to the total 33 of the game and seven shots on goal, showcasing her best play of the season so far.
The shutout came thanks to the sophomore goalies. Kendra Griffith made one save and Cristina Gaces made three.
“So far, we’re playing well at the right time,” Lindacher said about the team.
This week the Lions will be in a Kicking for the Cure showdown with Rowan University Thursday night at the College at 7:30 p.m.
