PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The William and Mary women's soccer team scored a pair of goals in the first 15 minutes of the match and added one late as they rolled to a 3-0 victory at Penn on Sunday afternoon. Freshman Rachel Moore scored a goal and assisted on another, while senior Aly Shaughnessy and junior Katie Johnston also tallied in the match. With the win the Tribe won its third straight and moved to 4-1-1 on the season, while Penn fell to 2-1-1 on the year.
W&M started strong and poured the pressure on Penn quickly. Junior Samantha Cordum fired a shot on target, but Kalijah Terilli turned it away. In the 10th minute, Cordum and Moore executed a give-and-go to perfection. Cordum fed Moore, who then fired a shot into left corner of the goal. Moore's second goal of the season, lifted the Green and Gold to a 1-0 lead.
The Tribe doubled its lead just four minutes later with a tally in the 14th minute. Moore fired a long shot in front of the goal that was redirected in front of keeper by Shaughnessy. The senior's team-leading third goal of the season gave W&M a 2-0 advantage.
At the break, W&M held a 2-0 advantage. The Tribe controlled the pace of play, taking seven shots all on frame. In comparison, Penn fired five shots with just one on frame, which junior goalkeeper Caroline Casey turned away.
Cordum opened the second half with a shot on goal that was saved, but Penn then turned up its pressure. In the 49th minute, Erin Mikolai placed a shot on target, but Casey was there for the stop. On the ensuing corner kick, Natasha Davenport put one on frame, but again Casey was up for the challenge.
W&M just missed a chance to extend its lead to 3-0 in the 74th minute. Off of a corner kick from junior Nicole Baxter, sophomore Haley Kavanaugh directed a header toward the goal. However, Terilli came up with the stop.
The Tribe added the exclamation point with a goal in the 82nd minute. After a foul, Baxter lined up a free kick and sent it toward the box. Johnston found the pass and headed it into the right side of the goal. The junior's first marker of the season pushed the lead to 3-0.
W&M continued to mount its pressure following the third goal of the game. Freshman Sami Grasso (twice) and Moore all fired shots on frame, but Terilli made the stops.
Casey made a season-high six saves in her second shutout of the year, earning her fourth win of the season. She is now just seven shutouts away from entering the top five in school history for career shutouts. Johnston finished the match with a game-high four shots. Terilli finished with 10 saves for Penn.
The College concludes its two-match road swing at Davidson on Thursday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Green and Gold opens its second three-match home stand on Sunday, Sept. 21 against Princeton. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
