August 26, 2014

(1-0-0) 1 2 F Lafayette 2 2 4 Saint Peter's 0 0 0 Box Score | Box Score (PDF) (0-1-0)

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Senior forward Alyssa Finelli tallied two goals to lead the Lafayette women's soccer team past Saint Peter's on Tuesday night in the season opener, 4-0.

The win is the first for the entire Lafayette athletics program in the 2014 campaign, kicking off the fall season. Joining Finelli in the scoring column was classmate Nicole Lee and sophomore Kaelin King, while senior captain Alex Reisinger notched an assist on Finelli's opening goal.

"It's a great start for the team," head coach Mick Statham said. "We controlled the majority of the game. I'm very happy with the performance and now we can move on to Florida."

With 25 minutes to play in the first, the Leopards got their first real scoring chance as sophomore Elizabeth Scoda muscled her way down the right of the box in scoring territory. Scoda's cross deflected off a Saint Peter's defender up into the crossbar and over the net as Lafayette narrowly missed the opening goal.

Just three minutes later, junior Allie Torru and senior Alyssa Finelli both had their chances as Torru sailed a shot from 20 yards out just over the crossbar and Finelli found herself open in front but a tough Peacocks' save stoned her effort.

With 18:45 remaining in the first half, newly-entered senior captain Alex Reisinger found some space off a throw-in down the right side. After one touch, she played a beautiful ball across the face of goal perfectly to the head of Finelli, who headed it home to put the Leopards in front.

Moments later, the score was doubled as Finelli fed it across the 18-yard line to Lee at the top of the box. The senior midfielder side-stepped a defender and slotted it in the left back netting for the 2-0 advantage, a lead that would stand into the halftime break.

"Alyssa was outstanding tonight," Statham added. "She played like a senior and I couldn't be more pleased with her performance."

The Maroon and White held possession and worked the clock for the majority of the second half as the scoring chances were limited for both teams. With 21 minutes remaining, King worked her way behind the defense and found the back of the net for the Leopards' third goal and Finelli added another with 14:14 to play. With that insurance, Lafayette cruised to the final whistle with a score of 4-0.

Sophomore goalie Danielle Sedillo improved her record to 1-0, making one save on the night and recording the shutout. The Leopards led the way in shots at 20-2 and corner kicks, 7-1.

The Leopards enter their furthest trip of the season on Friday with two games in Jacksonville, Fla. North Florida will be the opponent on Friday at 5:30 p.m., while Lafayette faces off against Jacksonville on Sunday at 1 p.m.