Marist (2-4-1, 2-0-0 MAAC Conference) picked up where they left off in their last matchup against Saint Peter’s, defeating Sacred Heart (0-5-1, 0-2-0 MAAC Conference) 2-0 on the road in Connecticut.
The two Marist goals came from junior midfielder Olivia Lindsay and junior midfielder/forward Jillian Garcia, each having the first goals of their collegiate careers respectively. With Junior goalkeeper Maddy Catalanotti totaling seven saves in the shutout, the match proved to be an all-around victory.
The Pioneers have had trouble on the defensive side of the ball this season, allowing two or more goals in five of their previous six matches.
Those troubles continued tonight; while Sacred Heart led the shot category 16 to 14, Marist led with shots on goal nine to seven.
Unlike the last victory, the Red Foxes attempted shots on goal early on. A minute in for the Red Foxes, senior midfielder/forward Lauryn Schmidt put a shot on the net that sophomore goalkeeper Kyran Thievon saved. Marist created a corner kick a couple minutes later that bounced around the box and eventually was cleared by the Pioneers.
Sacred Heart found their first chance nine minutes in, as junior forward Morgan Bovardi delivered one of her six shots on the night from the far side. The ball made its way out of bounds to give the Pioneers a corner kick, quickly cleared by the Red Foxes.
The Pioneers had one of their best opportunities 13 minutes in as graduate student midfielder/forward Grace O’Hara sent a great ball in that found the foot of Bovardi which missed just wide of the net.
The Red Foxes struck early on, as senior defender Bella Lazzaro sent a ball in from around midfield that navigated past the defense, finding Lindsay. Lindsay delivered a shot just under the diving effort of Thievon, giving Marist a 1-0 lead at the 18th minute. The captain-to-captain connection led to the first goal of the season for Lindsay, as Marist head coach Nicole Pacapelli has pushed her further up the field the last three games.
Just after the goal, sophomore forward Lindsay McShea put a high shot on net, but Catalanotti made a beautiful leaping save to push it out and over the crossbar. The Pioneers did not do a whole lot with the corner, ending the opportunity.
Marist had another shot on net by Lindsay from far outside the 18 at the 27th minute, but Thievon made a nice diving save to her left to keep the score the same.
Another chance for the Pioneers came at the 32nd minute as sophomore forward Shea Kelleher put a shot on net from way outside the 18, but Catalanotti made a diving save to hold the Marist lead.
To get their second goal of the game in the 35th minute, a beautiful through ball by freshman forward Gabby Tirado went to the right side of the box, which Garcia craftily chipped over the head of Thievon to make it 2-0 Red Foxes.
Though mostly back-and-forth play for the remaining minutes of the first 45, Marist got it going on offense immediately to open up second half action, as they got a corner kick just a couple minutes in which Sacred Heart defended and cleared without a shot being delivered.
Catalanotti made one of her easier saves of the night at the 55th minute mark, as she corralled a shot off the head of McShea. Sacred Heart was awarded with a corner kick at the 60th minute, which they wasted by not sending it into the box and instead going back to a defender. The Red Foxes contained on defense for a bit and ended the opportunity.
The Pioneers threatened in Marist territory at the 69th minute, as they were awarded a free kick in the far right corner of the field. The Red Foxes shut down that opportunity the same way they had done it all night, clearing the ball immediately towards midfield.
The Pioneers had two late scoring threats: once in the 82nd minute, as O’Hara sent in a cross to Bovardi whose shot sailed high over the net; and another cross to Bovardi in the 85th minute, which led to a contested save by Catalanotti.
Even while earning corner kicks late, the Red Foxes looked to solely maintain possession as they coasted the rest of the way to snag their second win of the season.
With that second consecutive win, Marist will travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland to take on Mount St. Mary’s next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Edited by Dan Aulbach
Graphic Credit: Raegan Van Zandt
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