BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College freshman midfielder/attack Jillian Picciuto scored six goals and had a total of eight points to become the first player in school history to reach 100 points in a season and to break the goal scoring mark for a season but the Greyhounds ended up falling to Elizabethtown College, 19-13, in non-conference action at Rocco Calvo Field Saturday.
The Hounds closed out their first varsity season since 2010 with a 6-10 mark, and Moravian played the year as an independent. Next spring, the Greyhounds will join the Landmark Conference.
"We didn't finish the season exactly where we wanted to by being under .500 but overall these girls accomplished so much more than we could have ever imagined," commented Head Coach Kristen Schuster. "Having a player reach 100 points in a season is amazing, and the quality wins that we did have, we couldn't be more proud of."
Picciuto's six goals gave her 64 for the season, breaking the mark of 62 set by Erica Spatz in 2008. Picciuto already owned the school marks for points in a season, now with 102, and assists in a season and career, now with 38 after two assists on Saturday. Sophomore midfielder Alexis Kersten and freshman attack Jessica Pisano each netted two goals for the Hounds. Freshmen midfielder Eileen Rolwood and attacks Dalia Aguilar and Kyleigh Miller each scored one goal while freshman defender Melissa Webber had one assist.
Sophomore goalie Elisabeth Pontius made seven saves in her second start of the season. Rolwood tied her own school record for draw controls in a match with 10 to finish the year with a school record 85 draw controls, and she added four ground balls and three caused turnovers against the Blue Jays. Picciuto contributed four draw controls and three ground balls while Kersten had four draw controls. Webber scooped up three ground balls as well while junior defender Maria Maka had a team high four ground balls.
Elizabethtown opened the scoring just over a minute into action, and the teams traded goals until Moravian scored twice on tallies by Kersten and Aguilar to take a 6-4 lead with 11:09 left in the first half. After the Blue Jays tied the contest at 6-6, Picciuto and Rolwood scored as Moravian moved ahead 8-6 with 6:44 before the intermission. Elizabethtown would score four straight goals and five total in the last 4:34 of the first 30 minutes of action to head into halftime with an 11-9 lead.
Picciuto scored the opening goal of the second half to break Spatz's record and cut the deficit to 11-10 with 26:19 remaining but the Blue Jays netted eight straight goals to take a 19-10 lead with 6:14 remaining. Picciuto would set up a goal by Pisano with 5:31 on the clock for her 100th point of the season, and the duo connected again ten seconds later. Picciuto scored the final goal of the season with 14 seconds remaining in the match.
