Copyright 2016; Wilmington University. All right reserved. Photo of Gabrielle Perry taken by James Jones.
ORANGEBURG, N.Y. - - Three newcomers scored their first goal as a member of the Wilmington University women's soccer team on Saturday, leading the Wildcats to a 3-1 victory at Dominican to open the 20016 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference schedule.
A pair of freshman scored in the first half for the Wildcats (2-1, 1-0 CACC), taking a 2-0 lead into the halftime break. The Chargers (0-3, 0-1 CACC) cut the lead in half before a junior transfer tallied her first mark as a Wildcat to widen the gap to the final score.
The Wildcats dominated the stat sheet in the first half, out shooting the Chargers, 13-5. Four of the Chargers' first half shots came in the opening 13 minutes, where they also collected three corners in the opening moments. But the Wildcats found the back of their net first in the 24th minute as freshman Riley Thompson finished a feed from Loran Wyrough to break the ice.
The Wildcats continued the pressure by collecting the next four shots in the match, but it was the fifth shot in a row that gave the visitors a two-goal advantage. Freshman Gabrielle Perry scored her first collegiate career goal in the 39th minute for the 2-0 lead.
After the break, the Chargers cut the lead in half with a goal in the 65th minute, but the Wildcats picked the pressure back up and recorded the game's next seven shots and four corner opportunities. The team broke through again in the 78th minute, regaining a two-goal lead on junior Ashley Cafarella's first goal as a Wildcat off a feed from Carin Essex-Arline.
The Wildcats out shot the Chargers, 25-9, for the match while they also took more corners, 7-5. Kierstyn Williams recorded six saves in the first 79 minutes for the win before giving way to Martina Stewart for the remaining 11 minutes.
The Wildcats remain in CACC action this week when they host Chestnut Hill on Wednesday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex. The opening whistle is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
