SCRANTON, Pa. – The University of Scranton women's soccer team (3-2-2) scored two goals in the first five minutes and rolled to a 3-1 victory over the SUNY New Paltz Hawks (4-3-1) in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday night at Weiss Field.
This marked the second-ever meeting between the two programs and the first since 2010.
Junior Emily Bannon (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) was on the receiving end of a flick from senior Mary Haggerty (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and tucked a shot just inside the post for a 1-0 lead just 2:18 into the game. In the fifth minute, senior Emily Tantala (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) played a ball into the box and classmate Niamh Healy (Orangeburg, N.Y./Tappan Zee) buried it for a 2-0 edge. The goal marked Healy's team-leading sixth of the season and she has now scored in six straight games, while Bannon's goal was her second of the season and the Middletown, N.Y., native has recorded points in four of the last five contests. New Paltz nearly got on the board in the 12th minute, but junior goalie Nicole Olson (Stoughton, Mass./Ursuline Academy) denied a shot from point blank range by Gaby Treble to keep it a two-goal game for the time being. However, the Hawks were able to get on the board in the 17th minute when Rachel Eisert played a ball over the top to Brooke Kelleher who found the back of the net to cut the lead to 2-1. Scranton responded by continuing to mount pressure offensively through the remainder of the half and after a New Paltz defender cleared a shot by senior Alaina McLaughlin (West Chester, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) off the goal line in the 35th minute and fellow senior Gabrielle Richetti (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) then buried a chance in the 38th minute off a nice ball into the box by senior Claire Mulholland (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee).
The goal was Richetti's first of the season.
Head coach Colleen Pivirotto's team controlled play for the entire second half and both Healy and Mulholland saw quality scoring chances on a couple of different occasions as the Royals preserved the 3-1 victory.
Scranton held a 17-6 shot advantage in the contest led by eight from Healy and three from Bannon.
Olson registered four saves in the victory for the Royals, while Maddie Franklin tallied six saves for New Paltz.
The Royals are set to open Landmark Conference play on Saturday afternoon at Elizabethtown with action slated to get underway at 3:30 p.m.
--ROYALS--
