BENNINGTON, Vt. — The Southern Vermont College women's soccer team carried its winning momentum into Saturday afternoon, defeating visiting Wheelock College 8-1 at Everett Field in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action.
SVC freshman Molly Madore (Higganum, Conn.) registered 10 points on the day, scoring four goals while adding a pair of assists; that ties the program high mark set by Beth Sampson back in 1995. Junior Lauren Nesshoever (Chittenden, Vt.) added two additional scores while four other Mountaineers notched at least one assist in the victory.
The fourth straight win for the Mountaineers keeps them undefeated in Conference play at 3-0 and sets their overall season record at 7-4. WC falls to 1-8 and 0-3 against the league.
Mountaineer sophomore keeper Melissa Mascari (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) stopped a pair of Wheelock shots to improve her season record to 5-4 in net. WC sophomore counterpart Amarielis Morales (Dorchester, Mass.) made six saves in the loss (1-4).
After losing the first three games against the Wildcats, Southern Vermont has now won the last four meetings between the two sides to take a 4-3 edge in the all-time series.
Both teams are back in Conference action on Monday as the Mountaineers head to Mitchell College for a 2 p.m. kickoff while Wheelock hosts Daniel Webster College for a 12 p.m. start.
SVC struck early, going up 1-0 in the first minute of action on a play started at the mid line. Freshman Sydnee Julian (Mexico, N.Y.) collected the ball and played it down the right side where classmate Ally McNamee (Freehold, N.J.) was able to take a few touches through open space at the frame; she entered the box undefended, but as the Wheelock goalie came off her line, the Mountaineer freshman played a square ball across the six to an open Madore who was able to bang it in for her team-leading seventh of the year.
The Southern Vermont freshman duo teamed up again in the 14th minute to extend the hosts' lead, McNamee once again finding Madore in the middle of the box. McNamee brought the ball down towards the right edge of the box, set up and crossed it to the center of the pitch. Madore ran on, leaned in and headed it home for her eighth of the season with 31:20 to go in the opening period.
Wheelock closed the gap soon after when the Wildcats worked the ball deep into SVC territory. Neither side could retain possession in the top of the box until Alison DeGloria (Chelmsford, Mass.) got her foot on it, sending a high, looping shot from the right side over the top of Mascari; it went into the far side of the net, the junior's eighth goal of the year making it a 2-1 SVC lead in the 19th minute.
SVC went back up by a pair at the 34:21 mark on another pass in from the right side. Madore notched her fifth assist of the year, sending the ball to the far post where Nesshoever was able to run on and flick it over the WC keeper for her seventh of the season. The Mountaineers carried their two-goal lead into the break as Wheelock was unfortunate in not capitalizing on its final looks, one shot by senior Madeline Domingo (Newington, Conn.) ringing off the crossbar with 2:21 left to go in the half.
The Mountaineers extended their upper hand just 5:38 into the second period, Madore notching her second assist of the day on an overlap. Freshman Naya Cerda (West Islip, N.Y.) played it from the middle part of WC's half to Madore who took a touch and laid back off to her streaking teammate; Cerda set up her shot and put it off the Wheelock keeper into the right side of the net, her second of the year putting SVC up 4-1.
About six minutes later, Madore completed her hat trick on a long pass from the Mountaineer end of the field. Senior Rachel Cudo (West Hartford, Conn.) played the ball directly down the gut of the pitch from 20 yards behind the center line, allowing Madore to use her speed to run on and carry it through open space at net; the SVC rookie slipped it in for her ninth of the year in the 57th minute for the hosts to go up 5-1.
Nesshoever then scored her second of the day and eighth of the season on a long pass down the left side from Bennington College freshman Lisa Jones (Glasgow, Scotland), breaking through open space before slotting it into the lower left corner for the 6-1 advantage with 24:07 left to go in regulation. Madore added her fourth of the match in the 72nd minute, finishing in the middle of the box on a cross by sophomore Chelsea Zukowski (Beacon, N.Y.) from the right side near the goal line. Southern Vermont sophomore Natalie Rose Canterbury (New Hartford, Conn.) potted her second of the year later on with just over four minutes to go, getting on the end of a long crossing pass by senior Karina Meza (Los Angeles, Calif.) that was sent to the back post from the left side of the field.