Women’s soccer records seventh A-10 win
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The Saint Joseph’s University women’s soccer team set a new record for wins with a 4-0 victory over the Davidson College Wildcats on Oct. 23. With the win, the Hawks improved to 14-1-2 overall and 7-0-1 in the Atlantic 10.
It was also the team’s first shutout of the season.
“We got our first shutout, so we were very excited about that,” Head Coach Jess Mannella said. “We were proud about that. I think they did a good job of keeping focus… I think we did a good job of just playing safe, keeping the ball, and having good shape.”
Davidson nearly got on the board in the 23rd minute, but the shot went high and landed on top of the net. St. Joe’s opened the scoring six minutes and 20 seconds later. Senior Emily Gingrich took a pass from freshman Kylie D’Ambra and shot the ball past the drawn-out goalkeeper for the Hawks’ first goal.
In the 38th minute, Gingrich scored again, this time heading in a pass from freshman Brittany Hartwell-Miller.
“Emily was pretty much dictating the play, and she was finding spaces and gaps, so she was really able to turn the game around, and I think that’s what she did by scoring both goals [in the first half],” Mannella said.
Davidson’s Virginia Jesseleson took a shot just over three minutes into the second half, but St. Joe’s sophomore goalkeeper Grace Bendon made the save to keep the shutout intact.
Ten seconds later, St. Joe’s sophomore Dakota Mills scored on a pass from Gingrich to further sustain the lead. It was Mills’ 13th goal of the season, just one goal shy of the record. Mills is also three points from tying the single-season record for points, a mark of 33, set in 2006 by Ali Wean.
Senior Shannon Mulvey capped the scoring in the 69th minute off a pass from D’Ambra.
“[I was thinking] just like the normal ‘hopefully I don’t miss this,’ to be honest with you,” Mulvey said. “It’s honestly just a great feeling. It was a great ball from Kylie.”
Mulvey was particularly impressed with the way the team continued to play hard, despite holding a commanding lead.
“It’s a good sign,” Mulvey said. “I think we put in a lot of effort. We didn’t get comfortable with the four-goal lead. We stayed and we defended and we played like we needed the shutout.”
The Hawks outshot the Wildcats 17-6, and also held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks. Bendon made two saves in the full 90 minutes. Gingrich led the team with five shots, three on goal, and two goals. Gingrich’s two goals and one assist brought her career points to 103, becoming the first-ever Hawk to score 100 career points. D’Ambra had two assists, and junior Lauren Dimes had three shots, two on goal.
“It’s so important [to get the win], especially after the huge win on Thursday [against Saint Louis University],” Mannella said. “Now, everything is in our hands to maintain first [place]. In order to stay [in] first, we have to win out. I think just staying focused and waiting to achieve that goal, I think we did a good job there. We’re really excited. Everyone got to play a little bit, so it was nice to see a whole team effort there. We were really proud of them.”
The Hawks will travel to the University of Massachusetts to take on the Minutewomen on Thursday, Oct. 27. The Hawks will return home for their final regular season game against St. Bonaventure University on Sunday, Oct. 30, where the team will honor its three seniors.
“I’m excited to see how we finish out,” Mulvey said.
The A-10 Championship will start on Thursday, Nov. 3 and will take place in Kingston, R.I.
