After trouncing Iona 4-0 in their first MAAC game, the Loyola women's soccer team continued their hot streak by defeating Fairfield 1-0 in a tightly contested matchup against Fairfield on Sunday afternoon. With the win Loyola improves to 2-0 in the MAAC and 4-0 in their last four games.
"It's great to have started the conference play at 2-0. It's everything that we had expected to be at this point in the MAAC play," coach KatherineVettori said.
In the opening period, both teams went into a defensive mode. It was not until a foul on a Fairfield player opened up the offense for Loyola. Senior Theresa Ferraina sent in a direct kick from the right where freshmen Maggie Ebner got a touch and scored on the left side past the Stags goalkeeper. Ebner had a career weekend as she recorded her first collegiate goal in Friday's win over Iona, and her second goal in Sunday's match.
"Maggie played very well this weekend," Vettori said. "She couldn't have come up any bigger at a better time. She is one of the best on our team for winning the balls in the air."
Junior Brittany Henderson, the goalie, came up big as she put down Fairfield's only challenge of the game. Minutes after Loyola's score, the Stags put a point-blank shot right on the net, but Henderson made an acrobatic dive to her right side to keep the Greyhounds' slim lead.
"Our defense and our goalie played amazing today," Vettori said. "Sarra Moller at the helm of the defense has been doing a very good job of communicating and keeping everyone organized, and Brittany made some great saves for us coming down the stretch."
On Friday, riding a two-game winning streak from the previous week, the women put on an offensive clinic when they defeated Iona 4-0. The win featured a season high four goals and 20 shots for the Greyhounds.
"We did a great job of possessing the ball and taking advantage of our opportunities," Vettori said. "The team was very excited to get things started off well in MAAC play."
Ferraina began the offensive explosion just a minute and a half into the game when she tracked down a ball on the right side of the field, made a nice cut toward the middle, then sent a low screaming cross to the six-yard box, where senior Lea Day notched the first score of the afternoon. After putting together some nice passing, the Greyhounds got another crack at the goal when Ferraina used her quick dribbling to beat four Iona defenders around the box before floating a pass to junior Christina Gomez. Gomez scored the second goal of the day for Loyola just over 19 minutes into the game.
"Theresa Ferraina played a fantastic game for us," Vettori said.
Loyola took a 3-0 lead when sophomore Lina Staropoli sent in a high-bending shot from the right to the middle where Ebner leaped out of a crowd of players and knocked in her first collegiate goal in the 33rd minute.
Loyola concentrated on maintaining possession and playing strong defense in the second half. Despite their increased intensity, Iona could not muster any offense.
The fourth and final score of the game occurred when senior Kristina Balfoort kicked a ball out of oncoming traffic and placed it squarely on the foot of Ferraina. As the Gael's goalie, Suzanne Baldissard, came out to deter the opportunity, Ferraina sent a shot from the left side to the far right post where it banged off the post and into the net.
The Greyhounds look to continue to practice hard before their three-game road stretch beginning on Friday against Saint Peter's.
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