Oct. 24, 2008
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA – La Salle Women’s Soccer registered a 2-0 victory over visiting Massachusetts in Atlantic 10 action at McCarthy Stadium Friday night. With the win, the Explorers remain in the hunt for an A-10 playoff berth and also gave Head Coach Paul Royal his 45th career victory – the most at the school for a coach in the sport.
With just four games remaining in conference play, each contest is crucial, and the Explorers came out firing and did not stop for the entire 90 minutes. They outshot the Minutewomen 24-3, held a 5-0 advantage in corners, and had 11 shots on goal – which does not include three shots that hit the crossbar.
It took the Explorers almost 13 minutes to take their first shot, but in the 25th minute they netted their first of the evening. Traci DePasquale took a shot on goal, which was blocked by a Massachusetts defender, but Dana O'Brien was there to collect and shoot. For O'Brien, the goal held up for the game-winner, her third of the season, and it was her team-leading seventh of the year.
Nine minutes later, La Salle struck again on a goal by Melanie Gamble. DePasquale started the play with a cross from the left side of the field toward the box. Heather Steadman bumped the ball back towards Gamble, who fired into the net for her fifth of 2008.
With that play, Gamble and Steadman each pushed their point totals to 10, giving La Salle five players with at least 10 points for the first time in a single season in the program’s 23-year history.
Even with the two-goal advantage, the Explorers continued to put pressure on Massachusetts. At the 42:31 mark of the first, Dani Allizzo's header hit off the crossbar and an Alex Conley shot just before the half went wide.
Massachusetts (6-6-3, 3-4-1 A-10) had no answer for the Explorer attack, recording just three shots all night. Their goalkeeper Lauren Luckey made nine stops in the match and kept La Salle off the scoreboard in the second half despite 12 shots in the frame, five on goal and two crossbar shots.
La Salle (7-7-3, 3-3-2 A-10) played great team defense as Melissa Sanger earned her third shutout of the season, fifth of her career. They will look to continue their three-game unbeaten streak on Sunday, when they host Rhode Island at 1 PM for Senior Day.
