WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Senior Niamh Healy (Orangeburg, N.Y./Tappan Zee) scored a pair of goals and head coach Colleen Pivirotto earned her 200th career victory as The University of Scranton women's soccer team (6-2-3, 3-0 Landmark) toppled the Lycoming College Warriors (4-2-4, 0-1-2) by a score of 2-0 on Tuesday night at UPMC Field in Williamsport.
Pivirotto becomes the second coach in program history to record 200 career victories, joining Joe Bochicchio who is the program's all-time leader at 297.
With the victory, the Royals are now unbeaten in seven straight games.
Scranton threatened in the early stages of the first half and had a pair of chances in the first 10 minutes of the game, but things remained scoreless until the 23rd minute when junior Samantha Goffice (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) played a ball to senior Emily Tantala (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) who then found Healy with a one-touch pass for the 1-0 lead. The Royals once again saw a couple of quality chances in the final minutes of the half, but Lycoming goalie Abbey Gerasimoff made a pair of saves and the visitors continued to lead 1-0 at the break.
Gerasimoff recorded consecutive saves on Goffice in the 49th minute and a Warriors' defender cleared a shot by senior Mary Haggerty (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) off the goal line in the 51st minute as the score remained 1-0. The Royals put forth a dominant defensive effort in the contest and Lycoming's lone shot of the contest came in the 55th minute on an attempt by Aubrey Williamson that went wide. Pivirotto's team was able to find an insurance goal in the 82nd minute when junior Emily Bannon (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) crossed a ball into the box from the wing and Healy headed it home to seal the victory for Scranton.
Healy has now scored in 10 straight games and leads both the team and Landmark Conference with 13 goals on the year, while Bannon is tops on the team with six assists, a total that ranks second in the conference.
The Royals held a 19-1 shot advantage in the contest led by seven from Healy and junior goalie Nicole Olson (Stoughton, Mass./Ursuline Academy) registered her fourth shutout of the year.
Gerasimoff tallied nine saves in the setback for Lycoming.
Scranton is back in action on Saturday afternoon at Goucher with start time slated for 3:30 p.m.
--ROYALS--
