The New York University women's soccer team won its opening game of the 2017 Eastern College Athletic Conference (
ECAC) Division III Championship, defeating William Paterson University 2-0 on Saturday, November 11, in Madison, NJ.
The Violets (11-5-3), seeded #1 in the Metro Region, shutout the #4 Pioneers (9-9-1) by a score of 2-0.
NYU scored both of its goals in the second half, and both were produced by the team's leading scorer,
Alex Benedict. Within a seven-minute span, the Avon, CT, native tallied two unassisted goals to help the Violets advance.
First, at the 53:13 mark, Benedict was able to clear herself of the Paterson defenders and lift a shot over Pioneer goalkeeper Angela
Sandelli. Then, at 60:19, Benedict took a shot from approximately 20 feet out and put it into the upper left corner of the net. The sophomore forward now leads the team with seven goals this season.
"I was pleased with our performance, especially in the second half," said Head Coach
Michele Canning. "We did a good job of moving the ball and stretching their defense."
Sophia
Danielsen recorded four saves in net for NYU. It was her seventh win of the season and her fifth shutout.
"It was great having Alex back and playing after she missed our last game," Canning explained. "She was anxious to contribute and the results speak for themselves."
STAT S RIGHT:
- NYU
outshot its opponent 16-9 overall and 8-4 in shots on net.
- The Violets attempted only one corner kick, while the Pioneers had five.
-
Julia Raith took four shots for NYU, with three landing on net.
The NYU season continues on Sunday afternoon at 3pm when the Violets will face #3-seeded host
FDU-Florham. The winner of Sunday's match will advance to next weekend's semifinals.
