Box Score SCRANTON, Pa. – The University of Scranton women's soccer team (17-0-1) scored two goals in the first half en route to a 3-0 shutout of the Nazareth Golden Flyers (10-7-3) in NCAA Tournament First Round action on Saturday afternoon at Weiss Field in Scranton.
This marks the fourth straight year that the Royals have advanced to the second round.
Scranton will battle SUNY Geneseo, who defeated Connecticut College 2-1 in Saturday's other game, with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line on Sunday. Action will get underway at Weiss Field at 3 p.m.
It also will mark the first ever meeting between the Royals and Knights.
The Royals nearly got on the board in the ninth minute as shots from senior Hope Drewes (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) and sophomore Niamh Healy (Orangeburg, N.Y./Tappan Zee) both rang off the crossbar. Head coach Colleen Pivirotto's team would continue to mount the pressure throughout the first half and broke through in the 29th minute as sophomore Mary Haggerty (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) took a feed from senior Lauren Holden (Nutley, N.J./Nutley) and buried the chance for a 1-0 lead. Royals senior goalie Amanda Steinberg (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) made a save in the 35th minute to keep things at 1-0 and classmate Jessica Letherbarrow (Westtown, N.Y./John S. Burke Catholic) extended the lead in the 42nd minute as she chipped a shot from the edge of the box over the head of Nazareth keeper Annika Monfort.
The goals were Haggerty's fifth of the season and Letherbarrow's fourth.
Monfort did her part to keep the Golden Flyers in the contest as she made four saves in a 15 minute span in the second half, but Scranton was able to solve her once more in the 80th minute for the third and final goal of the game. Junior Evelyn Bruggeman (Coatesville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) found the back of the net following one-touch passes from Holden and freshman Emily Bannon (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) for a 3-0 advantage.
Scranton held a 20-4 shot advantage in the match led by five from Haggerty and three apiece from Healy and senior Callie Deola (Churchville, Pa./Council Rock South).
Steinberg tallied a pair of saves in net as the Royals registered their 15th shutout of the season which ranks in the top five nationally.
For the Golden Flyers, Monfort registered nine saves in the setback.
With a win Sunday, the Royals would advance past the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
--ROYALS--
