NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's soccer team picked up a big 3-0 victory over Hamilton College on Saturday afternoon at Silfen Field.
Emma Quilty (Hingham, Mass.) supplied the game-winning goal in the first half, and
Amanda Behre (Dover, N.H.) and
Ella Gazo (Colchester, Conn.) tacked on insurance markers in the second. The Camels, who improved to 5-2-1 overall, jumped into the top half of the NESCAC standings at 2-1-1.
The first 30 minutes of the contest were evenly matched, as both teams produced scoring chances but couldn't capitalize. The Camels finally broke through in the 39th minute when
Jamie Scarpantonio (Glastonbury, Conn.) beat her defender at the far corner flag and crossed a ball into the box. A Hamilton defender got a piece of the ball, but not enough to keep it from reaching Quilty at the top of the 18, and the junior tucked a shot into the top-right corner of the goal for her second tally of the season.
Despite trailing 1-0 at the half, Hamilton came out in the opening minute of the second and nearly tied the game. The Continentals played a long ball into the box that found Hyla Mosher (Hudson, Quebec) for a header at the top of the goalie box, but Conn goalie
Sarah Hall (Tualatin, Ore.) was there to make the stop.
In the 56th minute, a great individual effort by
Mya Johnson (Old Lyme, Conn.) set up Conn's second goal. After getting the ball at midfield, Johnson took off down the right sideline with a defender in tow. The senior then used a nifty cutback to create some space and launched a left-footed shot from the corner of the box. Her shot hit off the crossbar and danced along the goal line, and Behre came rushing in to finish it off for the 2-0 advantage.
Just over 10 minutes later, Gazo netted her first career goal on a beautiful sequence that began with a throw-in from the right sideline.
Lauren Anastos (Hull, Mass.) took the initial pass and worked around her defender at the end line before serving up a cross to the far side of the goalie box. Gazo volleyed the ball out of the air and past the Hamilton keeper to extend the lead to 3-0.
Hall, who finished with three saves, recorded her third shutout of the season. Hamilton keeper Nieve Tonna (Huntington, N.Y.) stopped four shots in the loss.
After playing seven of their first eight games at home, the Camels now face a stretch of five straight road games. Conn College returns to action at Eastern Connecticut State University on Tuesday, October 4 at 3 p.m.
