LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 15) – The Bearcat women's soccer team kicked off Homecoming Weekend in fine fashion, as it defeated visiting La Roche, 7-0, in a sun-splashed, non-conference matchup at UPMC Field.
 
Seven different players scored goals for Saint Vincent (4-2), while Bearcats recorded at least one point, as the hosts out-shot the Redhawks (2-4) by a 26-9 margin and took ten of the game's 15 corner kicks.
 
The seven goals mark the most in a game for Saint Vincent since Sept. 6, 2015, when they defeated Defiance College by an 8-1 score.
 
After a scoreless 26 minutes to begin the match, the Bearcats ended the first half with a flurry.
 
With just over 18 minutes left in the opening half, Jordan Kirkwood made a long run down the sideline and end line, and sent a ball toward the box. It careened off the goalkeeper and right to the foot of Jordan Kirkwood, who one-timed it home for her second goal of the season to give SVC a 1-0 lead with 18:06 left in the half.
 
Just 14 seconds later, the Bearcats doubled the lead. Madison Geesaman picked off a cross field pass at the center line, and sent a long ball toward the goal and right to the feet of Emma Koller, who cashed in on the breakaway to double the SVC lead with 17:52 left until the break.
 
In the 39th minute, the first goal of Lexi Durkacs' career gave the Bearcats a three-goal lead. Lucia Johnson gathered the ball in transition and found Durkacs entering the attacking third with a long pass. Durkacs would dribble directly toward the goal and beat the keeper with a right-footed shot inside the near post.
 
The Saint Vincent offense picked up right where it left off following the intermission, Just 2:32 into the second half, Tanisha Grewal potted her third goal of the season, heading home a perfect corner kick from Cori Bieber, to increase the lead to 4-0.
 
Ninety seconds later, Jude Galvin scored the Bearcats' fifth goal of the game, taking a pass from Geesaman on the doorstep and knocking it home with a left foot for her first tally of the season.
 
After picking up a pair of assists, Geesaman would get in on the scoring act in the 55th minute. Addie Fisher tracked down a loose ball near the sideline and sent a high cross toward the box, which Geesaman knocked in with her head just inside the crossbar to open up a 6-0 lead.
 
The Bearcats closed out the game's scoring with 6:24 left in the half, when Brooke Garman knocked home a long rebound off of an Ashley Smith shot in front for SVC's seventh goal of the game.
 
After outshooting La Roche 6-2 in the first half, the Bearcats blitzed the Redhawks with 23 attempts over the final 45 minutes, including nine on goal.
 
The Madison Arnold and Maggie Perkins shared the shutout in goal, with Arnold making one save in the first 49 minutes of play, and Perkins stopping four shots over the final 41 minutes.
 
Saint Vincent will be back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 19, when it opens up Presidents' Athletic Conference play with a 3 p.m. home match against Westminster College at UPMC Field.