No. 1 Messiah Shuts Out St. Mary’s
St. Mary's City, Md. - The defending national champion, No. 1 Messiah College, scored twice in each half to post a 4-0 shutout of the St. Mary's College of Maryland women's soccer team Saturday afternoon, extending its unbeaten streak to 31 straight.
Sophomore forward Olivia Scott (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) tallied the game-winner at 11:28 as Scott was in the right place at the right time. Seahawk sophomore goalkeeper Lacey Johnson (Leonardtown, Md./Patuxent) punched away a cross towards the middle of the penalty box where Scott was waiting to send it back in. Sophomore forward Lisa Wingard (Narvon, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) gave Messiah a 2-0 advantage at 26:38 as Wingard kicked in a loose ball right in front of the goal.
Senior midfielder Amanda Naeher (Seymour, Conn./Christian Heritage) bolstered the Falcons' lead at 79:46, scoring the team's third goal off a feed from sophomore midfielder Leah Sipe (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata). Junior forward Erin Hench (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) found the top shelf from about 25 yards out for Messiah's final tally at 82:38.
Messiah's offensive pressure was constant throughout the contest, outshooting the Seahawks 32-3. The Falcons were rewarded 13 corner kicks in comparison to SMCM's one.
Sophomore goalkeeper Autumn Reilly (Saint Albans, Vt./Essex) recorded her third shutout of the season with a pair of saves.
Johnson finished the afternoon with four goals against and seven stops.
St. Mary's will return to action next Wednesday, September 16 when the Seahawks travel to Owings Mills, Md. to face Stevenson University in a Capital Athletic Conference tilt at 4:00 p.m.
Messiah will also play on Wednesday, traveling to Allentown, Pa. to square off against Muhlenberg College at 7:00 p.m.
