LATROBE, Pa. (Oct. 6) – Emma Koller scored twice, while Riley Kerr added a goal, as the Saint Vincent women's soccer team picked up an important Presidents' Athletic Conference victory with a 3-0 shutout of Waynesburg on Tuesday evening at UPMC Field.
The victory was a big one for the Bearcats, who improved to 8-2-1 overall and 3-1-1 in PAC play. Saint Vincent avenged a pair of losses to the Yellow Jackets from a season ago, including a defeat in the PAC Tournament semifinals.
Waynesburg fell to 6-5-1 overall and 4-2-1 in conference play with the loss.
Saint Vincent controlled the offensive attack from the opening whistle, generating several early opportunities before Kerr broke through in the 12th minute. Kerr found the back of the net for her sixth goal of the season, giving the Bearcats an early 1-0 advantage.
The Bearcats continued to apply pressure throughout the remainder of the opening half. Saint Vincent totaled 13 shots over the first 45 minutes, putting seven on goal, but Waynesburg goalkeeper Lex Greenlief made six saves to keep the Yellow Jackets within one at halftime.
Saint Vincent continued its strong play in the second half before Koller provided the Bearcats with some insurance in the 69th minute. Addie Fisher set up Koller, who scored her 13th goal of the season to extend the Saint Vincent lead to 2-0.
Just over seven minutes later, Koller struck again. The senior converted a penalty kick in the 77th minute for her second goal of the night, increasing the Bearcats' advantage to 3-0.
The two-goal performance continued a strong stretch for Koller, who entered the contest coming off of a hat trick in Saint Vincent's 8-0 win over Bethany on Saturday.
Saint Vincent's defense took care of the rest, keeping the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard to secure the shutout victory.
The Bearcats held a commanding 26-9 advantage in shots, including an 11-3 edge in shots on goal. Both teams recorded four corner kicks.
Kerr led the Saint Vincent attack with six shots, including four on goal, while Fisher totaled five shots and an assist. Koller finished with three shots and two goals, while Emily Ambrose added three shots, putting two on goal.
Rilyn Warner played all 90 minutes in goal for Saint Vincent, making three saves to record the shutout.
The victory marked Saint Vincent's second consecutive shutout and extended the Bearcats' winning streak to two games. Over those two victories, Saint Vincent has outscored its opponents 11-0.
Saint Vincent will return to PAC action on Saturday, Oct. 10 as they travel to Geneva for another PAC matchup. The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Beaver Falls.
