The women’s soccer team posted its sixth straight win of the season against visiting Swarthmore College on Sept. 15. A first half goal from inside the penalty area from sophomore forward Jessica Davila put the Lions up 1-0 going into halftime. Davila now has five goals in six games, making her the leading goal scorer for the Lions. Fellow sophomore midfielder Amy Van Dyk doubled the tally in the second half to seal the win. Freshman keeper Kendra Griffith had only one save on the night, but now has 4 shutouts so far this season.
“My teammates have been really good at finding my feet in front of the goal,” Davila said. “I use their skill to my advantage and just take shots whenever I get the chance.”
Saturday’s game at Ramapo was the Lions’ first NJAC game this season. While they went down 1-0 within the first two minutes to the Roadrunners, the Lions came back with three unanswered goals. Sophomore forward Allyson Anderson leveled the score 12 minutes in before junior forward Brenna Rubino and junior defender Annie McCarthy scored two more goals in less than three minutes later in the half.
“There is always pressure on us to remain undefeated because we are every other team’s big game,” Davila added. “We have a long history of beating all these teams and winning the NJAC that they make it their goal to try and beat us.”
Griffith had a career-high six saves on the day, and had her streak of 500-plus goalless minutes spoiled by freshman Sarah Barnes from Ramapo. Still, the Lions’ record stands at 7-0, and have outscored their opponents 20-1 so far. They are also now 1-0 in the NJAC, their perfect record giving them first place over Kean University and Rowan University who are also 1-0.
“Getting scored on by Ramapo was tough,” Griffith said. “But on the positive side, we can move on from that and learn our lesson. Plus, my defense is wonderful. They are all strong and supportive and we work well together.”
The Lions continue their NJAC pursuit on Wednesday at Richard Stockton College.
