Women's Soccer shut out at Southern Vermont 3-0

Courtesy of SVC Sports Information

BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Southern Vermont College women's soccer team has a .500 record or better for the first time this season after the Mountaineers defeated Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 3-0 Tuesday evening in non-conference play at Everett Field.

SVC clung to a 1-0 lead at the halftime break, but the hosts were able to punch in a pair of insurance tallies while keeping the Trailblazers out of the net the entire afternoon. Southern Vermont senior keeper Melissa Mascari (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) picked up the win in net for her 29th career victory between the pipes—tying Hall of Famer Thalia Smith '00 for the program's all-time mark.

The win is the Mountaineers' third in their last four games and improves the team's overall season mark to 4-4. MCLA falls to 0-7 with the loss.

Southern Vermont turns back to New England Collegiate Conference play for its next game as the Mountaineers visit Newbury College on Saturday for a 3 p.m. league kickoff. MCLA looks ahead to a Friday, Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at Mass. Maritime Academy—that match being scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

The Mountaineer defense allowed just four shots on net through the game, and Mascari was able to save each of them as her season record improved to 4-4 with the unit's second-straight shutout. MCLA sophomore goalie Megan Richardson (Adams, Mass.) turned away 10 shots in the loss (0-6).

SVC freshman Jayne Wierzbicki (Wilmington, Mass.) scored the Mountaineers' first two goals of the day to notch her first collegiate game winner while junior captain Molly Madore (Higganum, Conn.) had one score of her own.

Southern Vermont controlled the pace of play with a 28-5 advantage in shots taken and a 10-1 upper hand in corner kicks. Still, MCLA was not out of it for most of the game and had a few good chances at goal before Madore capped the game in the 78th minute.

The Mountaineers took 10 shots after the opening kickoff before hitting one that found the back of the net in the 30th minute. Freshman defender Addison Bonacio (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) launched a throw-in from the midfield line on the right side, and the ball bounced down the wing where Wierzbicki was able to sprint on and collect it. She took a few touches at goal and ripped a shot across the frame—sending it into the left side of the goal for her third of the year.

The 1-0 edge stood through halftime and four Trailblazer shots on net before SVC could extend it. In the 71st minute, senior Paige Vitale (Port Jervis, N.Y.) received a pass on the left edge of the pitch; she hit a lobbing ball with her first touch from 30 yards out into the right side of the box. Wierzbicki again ran onto it and volleyed a lofted one-timer over the MCLA keeper and into the frame for her fourth of the season.

Madore provided the second piece of insurance almost eight minutes later with her fourth of the campaign. A corner kick was played in from the right side and couldn't be corralled by either squad; it squirted through a pair of MCLA defenders towards the right post, and Madore was able to read the play to meet and punch it home for the eventual 3-0 final.