Women's Soccer Thumps Wheelock On Senior Day

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College women's soccer team cruised past visiting Wheelock College, 10-0, in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) tilt at Leary Field Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Blazers improve to 12-5-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the NECC, while the Wildcats dropped to 0-6 in conference, and 1-11 on the season.

Prior to the contest, the Blazers honored their six departing seniors Jacqueline Soucia (Belchertown, Mass.), Angelina Estrada (Springfield, Mass.), Brie Voight (Springfield, Mass.), Silvana Tellerico (Southington, Conn.), Mackenzie LaRochelle (Springfield, Mass.), and Madison Jung (Stafford Springs, Conn.) for their dedication to the program.

The Blazers jumped on the Wildcats early as Soucia curled a cross off the inside of the far post to stake Elms to a 1-0 lead in the second minute of action. Less than two minutes later, junior Danielle Asklar (Berlin, Conn.) volleyed a service from LaRochelle past Wheelock freshman Elianna Murphy (West Nyack, N.Y.) to make it 2-0.

In the eighth minute of play, Voight fired a shot off the hands of Murphy, and the loose ball spun into the goal, extending the advantage to 3-0. With the goal, Voight passed Krystyna Gagne to become the Blazers all-time leader in career goals.

With 35:01 remaining in the first half, Asklar was taken down on a run at the Wildcat goal, resulting in a penalty kick for Elms. On the ensuing attempt, Estrada ripped a shot into the back of the net to build a 4-0 gap. In the 14^th minute, Soucia played a ball into the box, which landed at the feet of Voight, who placed a shot past Muprhy, creating a 5-0 lead. Soucia added another tally off a feed from Voight in the 17^th minute to hold a 6-0 lead.

With 2:56 left in the first half, sophomore Alizaya Clark (Springfield, Mass.) knocked home a cross from classmate Haley Richard (Monson, Mass.), and less than a minute later, junior Shannon Denault (Chicopee, Mass.) found the back of the net on a shot through traffic to give Elms an 8-0 lead. The Blazers added a final tally of the half on a strike from freshman Shannon Ryan (Leeds, Mass.) to harness a 9-0 lead at the break.

The Blazers netted their final goal of the day in the 54^th minute as Soucia connected with LaRochelle on a cross to the front of the net, as Elms cruised to the 10-0 victory.

The Blazers dominated the shot column, 31-0, during the contest. Elms sophomores Rebecca Molin (West Hartford, Conn.) and Antriese Suarez (Amherst, Mass.), and freshman Erin Berthiaume (Agawam, Mass.) notched their second combined shutout of the season, while Murphy recorded a match-high 11 saves for Wheelock in the loss.

The Blazers will return to the pitch with a non-conference clash against Brandeis University in their regular season finale at Leary Field Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Wheelock hosts Mitchell in NECC action Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

ELMS SOCCER