BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's soccer team earned its first Landmark Conference win of the season as the Greyhounds scored twice in the second half to post a 2-0 victory over Juniata College on the HUB Quad Saturday afternoon.
"It kind of felt like the team didn't have its best today but we really found a way to turn it on in the second half," commented Head Coach Jeff Ykoruk. "That first goal early in the half was key and it helped the team relax and play with confidence. On a day when you are not at your best and you can find a way to win in a conference game, that is important."
The Hounds, who wore pink socks in their annual Breast Cancer Awareness match, and the Eagles played a scoreless 45 minutes in the first half with Moravian holding a 7-4 edge in shots and a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks at the intermission. Moravian had the first opportunity to score in the 18th minute when a header by sophomore defender Lauren Bertucci ended up on goal and had to be saved. Freshman defender Paige Kovacs followed that up with a shot on goal. Just over a minute later, senior forward Brittany Nicoline drilled the crossbar. The Eagles put a shot on goal in the 28th but senior Jacqueline Zalis was there for the save.
"Jackie was tremendous today," Ykoruk said. "We told her to be high off of her line and to make sure that any vertical ball played over the top she got to, and she was successful at it all day long. She was off the line well."
Three minutes into the second half, freshman forward Gabby Stelzmiller took a shot that the goalie was unable to control the rebound and freshman forward Alyssa Morgan buried the rebound for her second goal of the season and a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute. The Hounds kept the pressure up and it paid off with a corner kick in the 75th minute. Senior defender Melissa Pavia drove the kick into the box where sophomore forward Emily Crowley headed it into the net for her first goal of the season and second of her career.
Moravian controlled the ball for most of the second half and finished the game with a 15-5 advantage in shots and an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. The clean sheet defensively was the third of the season for Moravian.
"The defense has been our strong point all season," noted Ykoruk. "We've been in a lot of games because of them. They've been helping us shutout teams or keep them to one goal in those four 1-0 games that we've lost. They were just tremendous again today and it gives us an opportunity if we're not playing well in the front half to stay in the match."
Zalis made one save for her third shutout of the fall and the seventh of her career, which moves her into a tie for fourth in the Moravian record books.
"It is awesome getting our first conference win," Zalis said. "We came out a little slow today but once the second half hit, I had this feeling that we would get the win. It feels good to get a shutout too. Our defense did great and they kept the shots down so most of the balls that made it to me were just rolling in today. We'll take that every match."
The Greyhounds will begin a three-match road trip on Wednesday, October 14 in a Landmark Conference match at Elizabethtown College starting at 7:00 p.m.
