Posted: Sep 07, 2013
It didn't take long for the Gordon Women's Soccer team to put Wednesday's heartbreaking loss to WPI out of their minds. The Scots scored three goals in the first six minutes—including two by sophomore Lauren Hayes (Wantage, N.J.)—to put significant distance between them and visiting Suffolk University. Gordon would add four more goals to their total in a 7-0 victory in front of a raucous crowd on The Quad.
The Scots (3-1) put four shots on goal in the first two minutes of the game to instantly set the tone between the two teams. Gordon controlled the opening kick-off and displayed crisp passes to quickly move down the field.
Four and a half minutes into the contest, Hayes tapped a simple pass from Taylor McSherry (Wolcott, Conn.) past the Rams' keeper. Only 30 seconds later, McSherry got into the goal column for the first time this season on an unassisted ball she took from Suffolk's last defender.
With pressure beginning to mount up against the Rams, Hayes struck again on a centered ball from the left side. Kendra Woudenberg (Whitinsville, Mass.) beat her opponent to the 18-yard-box extension and lifted the ball over the defense right to the feet of Hayes. The sophomore midfielder used a quick flick of her right foot to deliver her second goal of the game.
The Scots would add fourth goal in the half in the 27th minute off the boot of leading scorer Hannah Midwinter (Barkhamsted Conn.). Claire Brooks (Unionville, Conn.) settled a cleared ball and sent a buzzing pass to hit Midwinter in stride, where Midwinter quickly finished past a diving goalkeeper for a 4-0 lead.
Gordon's talented defense held the Rams without a shot in the first half of play.
The Fighting Scots would again find the twine when Woudenberg added her third goal of the season off of a feed from Jamie Breton (Concord, N.H.). Less than a minute later in the 54thminute, McSherry would score her second of the game. Freshman Kara Dry (Madison, Conn.) threaded a perfect pass into the speedy forward and McSherry was able to take care of the rest for a 6-0 advantage.
Another 10 minutes passed with very little action from either offense, but the Scots' Brooks connected off of a throw-in from Shelby Palafox (Lexington, Mass.). It was her second goal of the year.
Suffolk (0-2) got their best chance of the match in the 76th minute when Gabrielle Balestrier (Mohnton, Pa.) got loose from the Gordon defense, but freshman Alex Hall (Boca Raton, Fla.) was able to derail her shot just enough to send it out of harm's way.
(Story courtesy of Gordon College Sports Information)