WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM POWERS PAST CURRY
Oct. 21, 2010
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Women's Soccer Team shutout the visiting Colonels of Curry College, 2-0, in a non-conference game played at Roberto Clemente Field on Thursday night. The victory was the fourth-straight for the host Saints. The game was Emmanuel's "Kicks Against Breast Cancer" contest. In conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Emmanuel players wore pink socks and ribbons in support of the nationwide effort.
The game featured a scoreless first half, with Emmanuel out-shooting Curry, 9-1, in the opening frame. The Saints controlled much of the offense and took 6 shots on goal in the first half. The Colonels had a chance to put one on the board late in the second half, but Emmanuel's sophomore keeper Jessica D'Ottavio (Pawling, N.Y.) made a great diving stop in the 41st minute and the contest went into halftime knotted at 0-0.
The two teams played scoreless ball for 18 second half minutes, until Emmanuel senior Amber Di Nucci (Assonet, Mass.) stuck the game-winner for the Saints. Di Nucci took a quick pass from Meghan Zerba (Cumberland, R.I.) and pushed her shot past Curry keeper Samantha Hardy (Pepperell, Mass.), giving the Saints a 1-0 lead. This was Di Nucci's sixth goal of the season and the 50th of her collegiate career.
Just five minutes later, the Saints tacked on an insurance goal. Sophomore Brittany Ridge (Portland, Me.) found Zerba in front of the net and she drilled a shot into the back of the net, putting the Saints up 2-0. The marker was Zerba's 5th of the year.
The Colonels made a run late in the game, but the offensive effort was stifled by a great defensive play from freshman Shawn Crifo (Newburyport, Mass.). D'Ottavio recorded saves on all three Curry shots on goal in the second half, giving her 4 for the game and her 9th career shut-out.
Hardy finished with 10 saves for the Colonels. The Saints out-shot the Colonels, 17-5, on the night.
Emmanuel will play in its last regular season home game this Saturday (10/23). The Saints will host the visiting Blue Jays of Saint Joseph College (CT) in a 1pm start. The four seniors on the Emmanuel team will be honored prior to the start of the game.