Elms Too Much For Women's Soccer

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College women's soccer team blanked visiting Mitchell College, 8-0, in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) clash at Leary Field Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Blazers improved to 9-4 on the season and 3-1 in the NECC, while the Mariners dropped to 0-3 in conference and 1-7 overall.

The Blazers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, capitalizing on an opportunity in the third minute. Jacqueline Soucia pursued a ball down the sideline and lifted a cross to the front of the net, where classmate Brie Voight knocked a pass to Angelina Estrada, who ripped a shot off the inside of the far post to stake the Blazers to a 1-0 lead.

Just over four minutes later, Soucia served up another cross from the right sideline, finding Voight in the middle of the box, and she fired a shot past Mitchell keeper Jordan Lohneiss to push the Blazers ahead 2-0. In the 20th minute, Danielle Asklar launched a shot from midfield towards the net, landing at the feet of Soucia, who dribbled through the Mariners defense and beat Lohneiss low to extend the lead to 3-0.

With 21:08 left in the first half, Soucia played a ball into traffic in front of the net, and Kelsey Shea was able to tuck a shot inside the post to give the Blazers a 4-0 advantage. In the 28th minute, Shannon Ryan potted her first collegiate goal, converting off a long feed from Silvana Tellerico. Jordan Bates then one-timed a service from Gigi Thibault into the back of the net with 13:51 on the clock to hand Elms a 6-0 lead heading into halftime.

Just over six minutes into the second half, Soucia lofted a cross from the sideline towards goal, finding Voight in front, but Lohneiss denied Voight's initial attempt. Lohneiss was unable to control the rebound, allowing Voight to deposit the loose ball into the back of the goal. The Blazers delivered their final strike in the 87th minute as Soucia launched a ball from midfield, which was corralled by Shannon Denault. She placed a shot past a charging Lohneiss to send Elms to the 8-0 win.

The Blazers dominated the Mariners in the shot column, 34-3, during the contest. Elms keepers Rebecca Molin and Antriese Suarez each recorded a save in a combined shutout effort, while Lohneiss made 11 saves in the loss.

Mitchell next hosts Southern Vermont College in NECC action on Monday, October 9 at 1:00 p.m.