NEWARK, Del. - - An early goal set the tone from the get-go for the Wilmington University women's soccer team as the Wildcats receives two tallies from Penelope Fantis and defeated Holy Family, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
The win helped Wilmington (5-4-1, 5-1 CACC) remain atop the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference with 15 points and tied with Georgian Court and Philadelphia after six games into the conference season. Holy Family (1-8, 1-4 CACC) couldn't continue its momentum from defeating Felician on Saturday and fell for the fourth time on the road.
The Wildcats came hard out of the gates in the first half, outshooting the Tigers, 7-1, in the opening 45 minutes.
Wilmington got on the board in the first half on a strike by Fantis for her first goal of the game. Collecting a loose ball outside the box, the senior took a touch to her right foot and struck the ball from 25-yards out, tucking it under the crossbar and into the back of the net for her third goal of the season and a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.
Fantis had an opportunity to make it 2-0 early in the first half, but Tiger goalkeeper Rachel Dunkle denied Fantis on a penalty kick in the 17th minute. Fantis went low and to her right side, but Dunkle sniffed it out and didn't allow a rebound to keep the game at 1-0 through the first half.
After the halftime break, the floodgates opened for the Wildcats, as they capped the second half with three goals to race out to big lead.
Senior Jenna Quaranta capitalized on her earning her own penalty kick in the second half. Quaranta split a pair of defenders before getting swept off her feet while crossing into the penalty box on the right side. Quaranta stepped up and went left on the penalty kick, easily putting it to the back of the net for her third goal of the season in the 63rd minute.
Nearly seven minutes later, sophomore Victoria Vasapolli added to her team lead in goals, making it 3-0 in favor of the home team. Jordanne Hoesli-Atkins won a ball at midfield and played Vasapolli down the left side. With a cut back to her right foot, Vasapolli shelved one to the upper right corner from inside the penalty area for her sixth goal of the year.
Holy Family was able to break up the shutout with a blast from Kimber Kisselback in the 75th minute from 22 yards outs, but the Wildcats quickly silenced any thoughts of a comeback with their final mark.
Fantis capped the scoring with her second tally of the game, racing in on a one-on-one with the keeper from 40 yards out. With a bouncing ball at midfield, Fantis made one touch around the center back and was home free in on the goal. With a final touch at the edge of the 18 yard box, Fantis slid the ball past an oncoming Dunkle for the 4-1 lead in the 84th minute. It was her fourth goal on the season.
Wilmington outshot the Tigers, 15-9, for the match, but the second half was even at 8-8. Wildcat goalkeeper Amanda Walters made four saves for her fifth win of the year while Dunkle made five stops in goal for Holy Family.
The win was only the second time the Wildcats defeated the Tigers in the program's history since joining the NCAA in 2004. The other win came during the undefeated regular season in 2010, but the Tigers earned a 3-0 victory during the CACC Tournament that season. The Wildcats are now 2-11 all-time against Holy Family.
Wilmington will take its two game win streak into this weekend, as they continue their CACC schedule with a match against Nyack. Saturday will have a bigger meaning for the Wildcats, as they will wear pink uniforms for their annual Break Cancer Awareness game. The match is slated to start at 12 p.m.
