Women's Soccer Posts Shutout Victory in Season Opener

Links: Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass – The Merrimack College women's soccer team put a win in the scoring column to open up their 2018 campaign, downing Molloy by a score of 3-0 Thursday in the day one nightcap of the Merrimack Kickoff Classic. 

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 3, Molloy 0 | Final
Records: Merrimack (1-0) | Molloy (0-1)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
 

How It Happened

• Merrimack came out firing, putting on 15 shots while allowing just two in the opening 45 minutes
• The Warriors had their first big opportunity to score 20 minutes into the game. A rocket of a shot by freshman Meghan Blanchette from over 20 yards was pushed just over the crossbar
• In the 21^st, junior Erin Fulton made an acrobatic save from point-blank range to keep the game scoreless
• Thirty minutes into the contest, Merrimack netted their first goal of the season. After controlling possession for over a minute, the Warriors found a seam in the Molloy defense; a ball through the middle from Gigi Guenther found sophomore Izzy McDonnell, who drove a shot past the keeper
• Three more shots were put on net in the final ten minutes of play, but the score stayed 1-0 at the break
• Merrimack opened the second half with a bang, scoring just two minutes in. A bullet from Guenther outside the 18 rang the crossbar, but senior Tori Daigle cleaned up the rebound with an easy put-back
• Merrimack continued to attack, and after nearly 30 minutes of scoreless play, netted its third of the game. Sophomore Kailee Stobbe buried her first on a feed from classmate Taylor Robertson
• Molloy had a chance to get one back, as a shot from Lexi Verni got past the diving hands of Warriors keeper Erin Fulton, but ricocheted off the post and out of the six-yard box

Inside The Numbers

• Merrimack outshot the Lions 30-8, putting 15 on frame
• Gigi Guenther tallied two assists in her first game of the season while posting a career-high nine shots; her previous record was six in 2015
• The Warriors tripled their shots on net from the 2017 season opener (5)
• Keeper records: Junior Erin Fulton (Farmington, Conn.) (W, 1-0) // Jackie Carty (L, 0-1)
• Shots (SOG): MER – 30 (15) // MOL 9 (2)
• Corners: MER – 6 // MOL – 1

Up Next
Merrimack has a quick turnaround, as they square off against Dominican in the final game of the Merrimack Kickoff Classic. Game time is slated for Saturday, Sept. 1, at 2 p.m.