CHESTER, Pa. (Sept. 4, 2015) – The Widener field hockey team exploded with four goals in each half to down Immaculata 8-0 in the Pride's 2015 home opener at Edith R. Dixon Field on Friday night.
Widener improves to 2-0 on the year, while the Mighty Macs dip to 0-2.
The contest began with a flurry of action on the Immaculata offensive end including two corners for the visitors in the first 1:11 of play. But a save by junior netminder Mikayla Ninos (Northampton, Pa.) and a defensive save by freshman defender Sarah Quintus (Drexel Hill, Pa.) kept the Mighty Macs at bay.
The tides quickly turned as the Blue and Gold took over the flow of the action and the pace of the game, controlling the ball for the majority of the rest of the night. The Pride would go on to have 10 penalty corners in the remainder of the half, keeping Immaculata from getting any more in the stanza.
Junior defender Alyssa Buckley (Flourtown, Pa.) started the scoring four minutes into the game off a feed from senior midfielder Ashley Aires (Bayville, N.J.). Less than four minutes later, sophomore forward Eliza Newlin (Lewisburg, Pa.) found the back of the net courtesy of an assist by junior defender Dana Adamson (Warrington, Pa.). In the 17th minute, freshman forward Kelly Rodgers (Oaklyn, N.J.) notched her second goal of the season, and sophomore midfielder Kayla Herr (Lancaster, Pa.) capped off the first-half scoring with just under five minutes to play.
The second half was more of the same as Newlin quickly registered the first goal of the period after 1:11 had passed. After assisting Newlin on the first goal of the half, junior forward Colleen Riley (Tannersville, Pa.) notched a score of her own off a corner insert by Newlin and a redirect by Aires.
Adamson passed across the front of the cage to a waiting Brittany Lavin (Phillipsburg, N.J.) who finished for the seventh tally of the game, while junior forward Kaelei Renzi (Mantua, N.J.) capped off the night with an unassisted marker in the 62nd minute to give Widener the 8-0 victory.
Ninos finished with two saves improving to 2-0 on the season in cage, while the Mighty Mac's three goalies combined for 13 saves on 25 shots on goal. Four defensive saves were also made for the visitors, two by Megan Wheeler and one each by Haley O'Donnell and Cayla Williams.
Newlin finished with five points (2g,1a), while Adamson and Aires each added two assists.
The Pride return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 9 as they host Neumann for a 7 p.m. match-up on Dixon Field.
