Thomas Scavetta
Staff Writer
During an offensive onslaught in the first 30 minutes of action, senior attacker Jackie Sileo amassed eight of her nine points (2 G, 7 A). After outscoring Molloy 12-0 in the first half, the no. 1 ranked Pioneers would go on and secure an 18-4 victory on Saturday, April 5th, at Hickox Field in Brookville, N.Y.
Sileo played pitch and catch with freshman midfielder/defender Cara Douglas early on as they teamed up on a pair of goals. The
Green and Gold had another dominant showing as they outshot their opposition, 33-13. After commencing the later stanza with a 6-1 run, the Pioneers (12-0) took an 18-1 lead and sealed the deal with the Lions (6- 5).
Senior attacker Samantha Losco had another strong performance, posting a five-point outing (4 G, 1 A). Freshman attacker Stefani Vagelatos, and senior attacker Morgan Chiarenza collected four points apiece. Senior midfielder Katie Rotan tallied up three points (2 G, 1 A) along with six ground balls.
The Pioneers played with great discipline and never slowed down on both ends of the field. Junior defender Kali Maxwell won six draw controls and forced one turnover, while freshman midfielder Connor Bird picked up five draw controls. Senior goalies Katie Hannan and Renee Schwartz totaled seven stops for the Green and Gold between the pipes. Their counterparts, Caroline Winters and Laura Vetter, made 12 combined saves for the Lions.
Led by head coach Meghan McNamara, the Pioneers would continue the damage as they decimated Bridgeport 18-3 on Wednesday at Hickox Field in Brookville, N.Y. The top-ranked Pioneers jumped ahead to another quick start, converting on all five of their first five shots within the first seven minutes of the play. LIU Post (13-0) established the
tempo of the game from the opening draw by mauling the defense of the Purple Knights (1-11) with a 27-3 advantage in shots by halftime to go along with a 13-1 lead.
The Green and Gold shone around the lights of Sileo, who led the charge with 11 points, recording season-high eight assists. Sileo
also recorded three goals to add to her total. Senior Morgan Chiarenza racked up four points (3 G,1 A), and Losco continued her impressive season tacking on two goals and three assists, giving her a career-high 56 points for the season. Sophmore midfielder/defender Honey Roche also chipped in, scoring her first goal of the season at the 23:50 mark during the second half. The Pioneers continued to demonstrate their balanced attack, as ten players had at least one point.
Overall, the Pioneers were just as stellar defensively by controlling the game on both sides of the ball. Communication was key defensively, as senior defender Melissa Rohr, senior goalie Katie Hannan, and senior midfielder Katie Rotan helped the Pioneers in forcing 20 turnovers. In addition, the Pioneers won the ground ball battle (24-11), dominated on draw controls (15-8), and shots (38- 9). Bridgeport goalie Megan Carney collected 14 saves in the cage.
After the game, Sileo mentioned that her teammates helped her a lot in becoming the NCAA›s all-time leading scorer across all divisions. The majority of Sileo›s points have came from assists, which goes to show how hard-working her teammates are who helped her achieve this milestone. Sileo also said that in order to win the East Coast Conference, the Pioneers will have to stay hungry and play with intensity for the entire 60 minutes. Sileo is continuing to enjoy her success as she hopes her and her fellow seniors go out with another national championship.
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