WATERVILLE, Maine – Freshman
Maggie MacDonald (Pembroke, Mass.) netted two goals in her collegiate debut and sophomore
Christa Giansiracusa (Tewksbury, Mass.) recorded her first career shutout as Plymouth State University topped Thomas College, 3-0, in non-conference women's soccer action at Smith Field on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman
Clare Tuohy (Sunapee, N.H.) opened the scoring in the 11th minute, cleaning up after a flurry of activity right in front of the Terriers' net with a flick into the right corner. PSU carried the 1-0 lead into the halftime break before MacDonald iced the game with a pair of second-half strikes.
The Panthers controlled the pace of play from start to finish, outshooting Thomas by a 30-5 margin and holding a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.
Plymouth State starts the season 1-0-0, while Thomas falls to 0-1-0.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, Thomas 0
- Plymouth State (1-0-0)
- Thomas (0-1-0)
How it Happened:
- Senior Molly Bellmore (Hebron, Conn.) sliced through the defense on the left side and beat the Thomas goalkeeper ten minutes in, but her shot was deflected. The Panthers fired two more attempts that were blocked before Tuohy found the right corner for the early lead.
- PSU nearly doubled its advantage late in the half when freshman Islah Godo (Topsham, Maine) delivered a perfect corner into the box. The Terriers cleared a shot off the goal line and Godo's follow-up from the right side sailed over the crossbar, keeping the score 1-0 at halftime.
- Giansiracusa came up big midway through the second half, diving to her right to deflect a dangerous shot side before the defense blocked a pair of follow-ups to preserve the lead.
- Plymouth State capitalized on the momentum less than two minutes later when Godo sent in another well-placed corner, this time headed home by MacDonald to double the margin.
- Giansiracusa made another save on a blast in the box with under ten minutes to play, and MacDonald sealed the win in the 89th minute when she got a toe on a free kick from junior Ava Knighton (Clayton, Del.) to cap the scoring.
By the Numbers:
- MacDonald led the team with 10 shots, while Tuohy added seven.
- Plymouth State held a commanding 30-5 shot advantage.
- PSU earned seven corner kicks to Thomas' three.
- Giansiracusa needed just two saves to notch her first career shutout.
- Saturday's game marked the first meeting between the two programs since 1989, when PSU rolled to a 6-1 win.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State hosts Middlebury in the home opener on Tuesday (Sept. 2). Opening kick is set for 3:00 p.m. on Panther Field.
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