Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Mount St. Mary's
Seniors Guide Bucknell Women's Soccer Back on Track after 2-0 Win over Mount St. Mary's
9/11/2012 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 11, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Kayla Yee scored early and Taryn Boucher late, sending the Bucknell women's soccer team back into the win column with a 2-0 shutout of Mount St. Mary's on a beautiful Tuesday evening at Emmitt Field. The Bison have now won five of their last six matches, four by shutout, to improve to 5-3 on the season heading into a trip to California later in the week.
Bucknell had its four-game winning streak snapped on Sunday at Saint Francis (Pa.), and the Bison quickly rebounded with a strong performance on Tuesday against a Mount St. Mary's side that came in with a 3-2 record and a two-game winning streak.
Yee's penalty kick just 3:07 into the match was all the Bison would need. Courtney Nelson lobbed a high ball into the penalty area in the direction of Chelsey Garkowski, who was taken down by a Mount defender. Yee buried the PK into the left side of the net for her first goal of the season.
Bucknell controlled the remainder of the first half and outshout Mount St. Mary's 8-2 in the period. With about 14:30 left in the half Boucher just missed the right upper 90 with a curling strike from 25 yards out, and just over 10 minutes later Danielle Piccirilli barely missed wide with a spinning shot after The Mount failed to clear a corner kick.
The tide changed a bit in the second half, as Mount St. Mary's was the aggressor coming out of the locker room. The Mount's first dangerous action of the night came about nine minutes into the half when a couple of crosses skipped through the box. In the 60th minute Bison keeper Sandita McDermott came off her line to leap high for a cross with a Mount player draped all over her.
The Bison were able to balance the field midway through the half, and they finally put the contest away in the 77th minute on a terrific individual effort by Boucher. The senior midfielder won the ball with a well-timed slide tackle. She quickly popped back to her feet, found some open space and launched a 35-yard shot over the head of Mount keeper Rachel Bourne into the back of the net. It was Boucher's first goal of the season and third of her career.
"Our middle three did very well tonight and really controlled much of the game," said coach Ben Landis of starting midfielders Boucher, Yee and Liz Dwornik, and substitutes Evelyn Nicinski, Meghan Fitzpatrick and Devan Schulte. "It was great to get another shutout and defend our home turf. It was not our sharpest effort of the season, but we are fairly healthy heading off to California. We are really looking forward to the trip."
Bucknell outshot Mount St. Mary's 17-7 on the night. McDermott made one save, while The Mount combo of Bourne and Vicky Cocozza combined for three stops. Both teams had five corner kicks.
The Bison are now 11-1-1 all-time against Mount St. Mary's, although The Mount's win and tie had come in the last two seasons. Just eight games into the 2012 season, Bucknell has already equalled last season's totals for wins (5) and shutouts (4), and the Bison already have four more goals than all of last year (14-10).
McDermott now has four shutouts this season and 11 in her career. The career total ranks fourth in Bucknell history and is just four behind Kathryn Sutton's school record.
Bucknell will be headed to Moraga, Calif., for the St. Mary's Tournament. The Bison will play Cal State Bakersfield on Friday at 4 p.m. (Eastern) and the host Gaels on Sunday at 5 p.m. (Eastern).
