SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Powered by a five-goal second half, the Mount Holyoke College soccer team bested Southern Vermont College, 7-0 in the season opener for both teams on Thursday. The Lyons were paced by a hat trick each from first years McKenna Lamb and Hannah Finn-Erb.
Holding a 2-0 lead after the opening half, Lamb (Redland, Calif./The Webb Schools) scored two goals within six minutes to push the home team to a 4-goal advantage. In the 58th minute, sophomore Sara Sanaú Ruiz (Zaragoza, Spain/P.P. Dominicos-Cardenal Xavierre) sent a pass forward to Lamb, who created space away from the defender and scored from the center box.
Lamb's third score came in the 64th minute, after Sanaú Ruiz navigated into the box, shooting a pass over to the rookie, who powered it in from 10-yards out.
Less than a minute later, Finn-Erb (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) increased the home team's lead to 5-0. First year Minerva Veeser-Bobea (Arlington, Mass./Arlington) earned the assist after she dribble the ball up the left side, sending a cross to Finn-Erb, who fired it in down the middle.
In the 85th minute, sophomore Avia Jacobs (Calabasas, Calif./Sierra Canyon), who scored the game's first goal, earned the assist on the sixth tally. Carrying the ball into the zone, Jacobs sent a pass in from the outside to Finn-Erb, who rifled it past the reach of Mountaineers keeper Melissa Mascari (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs).
The Lyons netted their final goal of the contest in the 88th minute as Finn-Erb connected for her third of the game, this time off a pass from rookie Melissa Johnson (Falls Church, Va./George Mason).
Southern Vermont had a nice chance early in the second half as sophomore Molly Madore (Higganum, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth) broke into the zone, sending a beautiful cross from right to left, but were unable to connect.
Mount Holyoke held a 31-1 advantage in shots for the contest, including a 23-0 edge on goal. SVC's Mascari made several outstanding saves throughout the game, finishing with 16 total, including 10 in the second half.
For the Lyons, who also held a 3-0 edge in corner kicks, senior Zoe Marshall (Mississauga, Ont./Cawthra Park Secondary School) played the first 73:25 of action before giving way to sophomore Amanda Manaster (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) for the final 16:35. Neither keeper was forced to make a save.
Mount Holyoke returns to action on Saturday when it hosts UMass-Dartmouth at 1pm. Southern Vermont hosts Dean College on Sunday, also at 1pm.
Photo courtesy of RJB Sports Photography.
