PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University women's soccer team defeated the Rivier University Raiders, 6-0, on Panther Field on Monday afternoon.
Sophomore
Ella Fraser (Nottingham, N.H.) scored a natural hat trick in the first 27 minutes of play and added a fourth less than two minutes into the second half, bringing her season tally to six goals in the first two games. Junior
Olivia Howard (Berwick, Maine) recorded an assist on the second goal in the 21st minute.
Rounding out the scoring for Plymouth State was graduate student
Tess LeDuc (Marlborough, Mass.), who converted a penalty kick in the 55th minute, and junior
Molly Bellmore (Hebron, Conn.), who notched her second in as many games. Freshman
Sofia D'Addona (Torrington, Conn.) recorded her first point with an assist to the Bellmore goal in the 65th minute.
Fraser's four tallies were the most for a Panther in a single game since Sam Laliberte poured in four goals in a win over Rhode Island College on Oct. 9, 2010.
The Panthers have posted back-to-back shutouts to open the season. The stifling defense, anchored by graduate student
Abbey Johnson (Orlando, Fla.) and senior
Erin Cammarota (Goffstown, N.H.), has limited opponents to just 13 total shots through two matches, while Panther goalkeepers have turned away all five shots on target. PSU enjoys a goal differential of +13 through two games.
Plymouth State improves to 2-0-0, while the Raiders fall to 0-2-0 on the season.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 6, Rivier 0
- Plymouth State (2-0-0)
- Rivier (0-2-0)
How it Happened:
- Fraser took advantage of a missed clearance by burying a one-time shot past the diving goalkeeper to the low right corner to put the Panthers up 1-0 in the 18th minute.
- Howard played a ball in behind to Fraser in the 21st minute as the goalkeeper came out fast. A touch past the keeper and a composed finish into the open net gave Plymouth State a 2-0 early advantage.
- Completing the hat-trick, Fraser found herself alone with goalkeeper again and blasting a shot that deflected off the hand of the Raider keeper, but it trickled in over the endline for the third goal of the half.
- Plymouth State continued to play quick and composed to close out the first half with a 3-0 lead.
- Fraser scored her fourth of the day just 1:55 into the second half, tapping a left-footed shot into an empty goal when the keeper misplayed a through ball at the top of the box.
- LeDuc scored her fourth career goal after Fraser drew a foul in the box in the 55th minute, blasting a penalty kick off the hand of the Rivier goalkeeper, and Bellmore capped the scoring with a drive from the top corner of the box after settling a feed from D'Addona ten minutes later.
By the Numbers:
- PSU outshot Rivier 16-7.
- Shots on goal were in Plymouth State's favor, 11-2.
- The Panthers recorded three corner kicks to two for Rivier.
- The Raiders' goalkeepers recorded five saves. Plymouth State's goalies needed just two.
- Through two games, Fraser has already surpassed last season's leading goal scorer (Bellmore, 5).
- The back-to-back shutouts to open the season matches the most since 2021, when the team started with three straight shutouts.
- Plymouth State is 2-1-0 in the three head-to-head matchups against the Raiders dating back to 2016.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads to Nichols this Saturday (Sep. 7) for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff on Nichols Soccer Field in Dudley, Mass.
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