Women's Soccer Rolls Over Dean Wednesday Night, 7-0

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's soccer team rolled over the visiting Dean College Bulldogs, 7-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match at home on an overcast and rainy Wednesday evening at the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford. USJ netted three goals in the first half before tacking on four second-half goals to account for the runaway win. Five different Blue Jays scored in the shutout victory, USJ's first shutout of the 2022 campaign.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: USJ 7, Dean 0
Records: USJ (4-5-1, 3-3-1 GNAC), Dean (1-6-3, 0-5-2 GNAC)
Location: USJ Soccer Field (West Hartford, Conn.)

KEY MOMENTS

• The Blue Jays were in full control from the opening whistle in this one, dominating the majority of possession throughout the entire match. USJ wasted little time getting on the scoreboard and struck first in the 19th minute for what would stand as the game-winning goal. Senior defender Elizabeth Garlock (Meriden, Conn.) blew past a few Dean players up the far sideline and played a through ball into the left corner to senior forward Maxine Muscatello (Berlin, Conn.). Muscatello took one touch and crossed a centering pass into the middle of the penalty area to junior midfielder Zoe Walk (Newington, Conn.). Walk collected and fired a shot that beat Dean's diving keeper into the lower-left corner of the goal to give USJ the early lead, 1-0.
• USJ found the back of the net again in the 26th minute on a similar looking play as its first goal. Muscatello tracked down a long pass in the far corner and again sent a centering pass into the penalty area, but this time found sophomore midfielder Jenna Zup (Berlin, Conn.). Zup's one-timer off Muscatello's pass was beautifully saved by Dean's sophomore keeper Haley Gaunt (Johnston, R.I.), but Gaunt couldn't secure the ball after her save and Muscatello was there to deposit the rebound into a wide-open goal to double the Blue Jays' lead.
• The Blue Jays kept their foot on the pedal and added another goal to their lead just 3:28 later. Following some excellent midfield play, Walk was able to find junior midfielder Marisa Brough (Cheshire, Conn.) in space in the middle of the field. Brough charged down the field at Dean's backline before slipping a pass back to Walk near the top of the box and she finished beautifully into the lower-right corner of the net to make it 3-0 in favor of the hosts heading into the halftime intermission.
• USJ picked up right where it left off to start the second half and tacked on two more goals to its lead with markers in the 51st and 53rd minutes. The first goal of the second half came from Muscatello after a nifty pass from Zup. Zup deeked a few Dean defenders near the top of the box and then flicked a through ball that found Muscatello just onside and behind the visitor's backline. Muscatello took care of the rest and in a one-on-one situation with just the goalkeeper to beat, she ripped a shot into the back of the net. Then just moments later it was Muscatello's turn to find Zup. Muscatello sped down the near sideline and then crossed a low pass from the corner across the goalmouth that found a charging Zup who tapped it in to balloon USJ's lead to 5-0.
• With the victory already in hand, the Blue Jays added a pair of insurance goals in the last few minutes of play. The first came at the 88:04 mark off of a set piece after USJ earned its sixth corner of the match. Zup took the corner and sent her cross toward the far post which found Garlock. Garlock then touched it down to Brough who blasted a shot into the top of the netting to record her first score on the 2022 campaign. Then, just 53 seconds later, the Blue Jays would tally their seventh and final goal of the match. From well beyond midfield, sophomore defender Gabriella Gulino (Wethersfield, Conn.) played a perfect long ball up the field. Her pass found Garlock who had a full head of steam to track it down past Dean's defensive line, and she chipped it over the keeper and into the back of the net to account for the final margin of victory.

QUOTABLE

"That was a strong all-around team performance tonight. We've been raising our standards at practice and tonight it was evident. Our defense earned a well deserved shutout and Zoe Walk had herself a night, putting away some well-deserved goals for the team. It was nice to see us be able to finish and continuously find the back of the net throughout the entirety of the match," said head coach Jenna Kalwa.

NOTES

• Tonight's match marked the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs. The Blue Jays have won all four meetings and now own a 24-2 advantage in goal differential in the series.
• The seven goals scored by USJ in the triumph is the most this season and the most since the Blue Jays netted nine at Anna Maria on October 10, 2018.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Bulldogs significantly on the night, 29-6, including a 15-3 margin in shots on goal.
• Muscatello, Walk, Zup, and freshman midfielder Christina Quitoni (Patchhogue, N.Y.) logged five shots each to lead the offensive barrage for the Blue Jays.
• USJ's freshman netminder Chandler Douglas (North Haven, Conn.) made a pair of saves and didn't allow a goal in 58:35 of work between the pipes. She earned the win to improve to 4-5-1 on the season.
• Sophomore keeper Emma DeVico (Waterbury, Conn.) relieved Douglas and played the final 31:25 in goal for the Blue Jays. She finished with one save without allowing a goal to secure the combined shutout. 
• Dean's Gaunt made eight saves, but was handed the loss to drop to 1-4-2 on the year for the Bulldogs.
• The Blue Jays held an edge in corner kicks, 6-1.

UP NEXT

Women's soccer returns back to the pitch on Saturday, October 8 for a GNAC match at home versus Regis College. Kickoff between the Blue Jays and Pride is slated for 12:00 p.m. at the USJ Soccer Field in West Hartford, Conn. Admission to all USJ regular-season games is free of charge. Fans who cannot make it to matches in person can watch all of the action live and on demand by visiting https://portal.stretchinternet.com/usj/.