No.17 Army (2-0) scored early and often against Marist (1-1), dominating on both sides, leading to a 23-7 win.
The Black Knights controlled 21 draws and had nine different goal scores. Three different players recorded hat tricks: senior attack Lily Valentini, senior midfielder Brigid Duffy and senior attack Allison Reilly.
The one bright spot for Marist was junior attack Kathryn Staker, who had her first career hat trick.
On the Red Foxes’ first possession, they came streaking down the turf and took their only lead of the day. Junior attack Kate Gaven found junior midfielder Gabby Kingston to take a 1-0 lead.
The Black Knights quickly answered back. Valentini scored on an eight-meter shot, launching the ball right over the outstretched arms of junior goalie Megan Morris.
Army gained momentum after their first goal and scored two straight goals off assists. Junior midfielder Ryan Remaly gave the Black Knights their first lead on a great cut, giving her an easy score. Then just 16 seconds later, Duffy threw a dart to Valentini, who scored with a throw that went right by the legs of Morris.
The Army offense would not let up; they scored three more goals to take a 6-1 lead. Freshman midfielder Emma Ciocon scored first, followed by goals from Duffy and Valentini. Valentini found a soft spot in the zone to give her a first-period hat trick.
The Black Knights controlled the draw six to three, allowing them to control the time of possession. At the end of the first quarter, Staker put a stop to Army’s 5-0 run with a score, making a strong move around the Black Knight’s senior goalie, Lindsey Serafine.
Marist stayed within striking distance early thanks to five saves from Morris, but the Army offense eventually broke loose. On a fast break, Reilly knocked in a shot from long distance. Senior attack Chloe Garrett gave the Black Knights a 9-2 lead with back-to-back goals in just under a minute.
Marist tried to chip away at the deficit, as sophomore midfielder Amelia Pirozzi made a nice spin move for her first goal of the day.
Army ripped in three more goals, one from Valentini and two more from Duffy. Duffy’s speed allowed the Black Knights to get down the field quickly, before the Red Foxes’ defense was set. Staker answered back to give the Red Foxes their second goal of the quarter.
Marist had 11 turnovers in the first half, leading to more opportunities for Army. At the end of the first half, the Black Knights tacked on three more goals, outscoring Marist 3-1 in the final five minutes, to lead 15-4 at the break.
In the second half, the Red Foxes put in their subs, including switching goalies from Morris to senior goalie Morgan Carroll. Senior attack Jesse Manger got the scoring started, capitalizing on a power play, cutting the lead down to 15-5. Staker then came from behind the net and scored a goal right through the legs of Serafine, giving her a hat trick.
Marist matched Army in the third quarter, with each team scoring three goals. Gaven contributed a goal for Marist, and Reilly had two more for Army, earning herself a hat trick. Freshman midfielder Rocky Phelps converted on her first two collegiate goals to give Army a 19-7 lead.
After Phelps’ goal, junior defender Ellie Nawa won her 16th draw of the day, the most draws won in a single game in Black Knights history. Army never let up, adding six more goals in the fourth quarter to close out the game with a 23-7 win.
The Red Foxes will have a week off before traveling to Massachusetts to play Boston University on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Faceoff is set for 4:30 p.m.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Marist Athletics
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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