NEWARK, N.J. - The 10th-ranked TCNJ women's soccer team was on the road to take on Rutgers-Newark Saturday afternoon, scoring five goals in the first half before adding one more in the second en route to a dominant, 6-0 win.
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The Lions (8-1-2, 3-1 NJAC) wasted no time getting on the board Saturday, taking just under seven minutes to score the game's opening goal.
Katie Naughton controlled a Scarlet Raider goal kick and found
Alyssa Alfano on a through ball into the 18. The senior fired in a cross toward a wide open
Emily Weidner at the penalty spot, who took one touch before firing the ball home to give TCNJ the 1-0 lead.
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The Pride's next two goals came in quick succession, with
Maggie Murphy scoring off an
Isabella Charles free kick in the 16th minute before
Jenny Ward made it a 3-0 game just over two minutes later, this time off a header from Weidner that the junior sent across the goal line.
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A near-line change in the 22nd minute kept TCNJ off the scoreboard over the ensuing 20 minutes before the Lions'
Lexi Caruso scored not once but twice before the halftime whistle. The junior bagged her first on a perfectly-placed chip over Rutgers-Newark's Maura Chawner, scoring two minutes later from the penalty spot to secure her first collegiate brace and give TCNJ a 5-0 advantage.
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It appeared as though the halftime score would hold as the clock ticked under five minutes, but hungry for more were the Lions' freshmen in
Kate Johnson and
Maddie Nolan. Johnson started the goal-scoring opportunity by making a great run down the left sideline before centering the ball toward Nolan. The Andover-native controlled the pass and beat her defender inside, setting herself up to fire one up and over Chawner to clinch her first collegiate goal and the 6-0 win for TCNJ.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions outshot the Scarlet Raiders 23-4 with an 11-2 edge in shots on goal.
- TCNJ took five corners to Rutgers-Newark's two.
- Ward finished with game-high marks in both shots (4) and shots on goal (3)
NOTES
- Weidner posted her first game of the season with a goal and an assist.
- Murphy's goal was her team-best seventh of the season.
- Ward extended her streak of games with a point to five.
- Caruso's goals were her first and second of the season to pair with her three helpers.
- The goal and assist were the first of Nolan and Johnson's careers, respectively.
UP NEXT
- The Lions kick off a three-game homestand Wednesday, Oct. 14 with a match against William Paterson, with game time is set for 6 p.m.
