The College's women's soccer team improved their overall record to 6-1-1 this week with victories over two New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) teams.
Last Wednesday, the Lions triumphed over the Roadrunners of Ramapo College, dominating the game with a 21-3 shot advantage and a 10-0 corner-kick margin over their opponent.
Outrunning the Roadrunners for most of the first half, the Lions first took the lead when sophomore midfielder Caitlin Brennan fired a shot off a cross by sophomore midfielder Lisa Kokotajlo.
"I was completely fired up, along with the rest of the team after I put the first goal in the net," Brennan said. "We had many opportunities in the beginning of the game and, once one goal was scored, we were ready to add a few more."
However, the Roadrunners were also ready and prepared to fight back.
With only 17 seconds left in the first half, Ramapo's sophomore forward Christine Andreyko snuck a goal past Lions' junior goalkeeper Alissa Kacar to tie the game at one. In 11 meetings with the Lions, this was the first time that a Roadrunner had put one past a Lions keeper.
In the second half, tension mounted as the score remained tied.
But senior midfielder Lynda Schuster soon netted the Lions' second goal when she converted a pass from freshman forward Dana DiBruno.
And that was not the end.
Schuster, this time assisted by senior midfielder Lauren DiStefano, added an insurance goal just six minutes before the final whistle.
The closing score stood at 3-1 and the Lions remain undefeated in their series history with the Roadrunners, 11-0.
"We were very excited about the 3-1 victory over Ramapo," Brennan said. "We would have definitely liked to add in a few more goals to our lead, but we left Ramapo's field with another win so we were very content."
A similar outcome ensued at Saturday's contest when the Lions posted a 4-1 win over the Ospreys of Richard Stockton College (RSC).
"Coming into the game on Saturday, the freshmen were unaware of how big the game really was," DiBruno said. "We were trying to learn about the huge rival from the older players on the team."
The team certainly figured out their competitors quickly. As in their previous contest against Ramapo College, the Lions dominated the game against Stockton boasting an 11-3 shot advantage and a 7-1 corner-kick margin.
The Lions also dominated the scoreboard. Senior midfielder Stephanie Peters tallied her first goal of the day at the 15-minute mark off a cross from junior forward Brittny Boyd. Ten minutes later, Peters followed up a hard shot by DiStefano and sunk her second goal of the evening giving the Lions a 2-0 lead.
But with seven minutes remaining in the half, the Ospreys fired back. Senior midfielder Dana Ash cut the Lions' lead down to one as she launched an unassisted ball past Kacar.
In return, DiBruno converted the rebound of freshman midfielder Christine Cavallo to end the half at 3-1.
"Our goal was perfect timing because it put us in a great position to start the second half," DiBruno said. "Mentally, it gave us a little advantage."
A final goal was then added shortly into the second half by Boyd who headed a cross from Schuster. Boyd now has three goals and three assists on the season.
Osprey junior goalkeeper Becky Baisley finished up the game with eight saves for RSC while Kacar finished with three stops for the Lions.
After adding these two recent wins to their record, the Lions have a positive outlook on the rest of the season.
"We have a very good feeling about this season," Brennan said.
"It is not common to have such a talented group of seniors and leaders and we are all looking to take advantage of it," DiBruno said. "We are taking each game one at a time and concentrating on the present."
Today the Lions will have a home conference game against rival Rowan University at 5 p.m.
