Boxscore

PURCHASE, N.Y. – A pair of second-half goals by junior Alix Zongrone off of corner kicks proved to be the difference as Vassar College handed host Manhattanville College a 3-1 defeat in a non-conference women's soccer matchup on day one of the 2010 Valiant Classic at GoValiants.com Field on Saturday afternoon.

Corner kicks served as the downfall for Manhattanville on this beautiful, sunny afternoon, as Zongrone scored the first two goals of the match off of corner kicks served into the box by sophomore Keiko Kurita. After senior Holly Nonis (Brampton, Ontario) got the Valiants back within a goal, Brewers freshman Gavriella Kaplan tallied the final goal of the contest to provide for the final deficit.

The contest was an evenly played affair, as both teams had pockets of possession advantage, but Vassar fired 12 total shots (eight on goal) while the Valiants managed just six, all of which found the cage.

The difference of the day came on set pieces, as the Brewers' first two goals of the game came off corner kicks. In the 52nd minute, Zongrone ran to the near post and used her body to redirect a corner from Kurita into the upper right corner for the match's first score. The duo struck again nearly 12 minutes later in nearly the exact same fashion, as a Kurita kick connected with the head of Zongrone toward the back post for an easy put away.

Manhattanville attempted to mount a comeback after the second goal, establishing some possession for the first time and keeping pressure on the Vassar defense. The pressure finally paid off in the 73rd minute, when Nonis was fouled approximately 25 yards from goal and stood over the subsequent free kick. From the left side of the field, Nonis curled a beautiful ball into the top-right corner for her second of the year and 34th of her career, giving her sole possession of fourth place all-time in goals scored at Manhattanville.

The Valiants kept the momentum going after Nonis' score, nearly finding the back of the net for a second time after Nonis was seemingly taken down in the box and senior Gina Hayes (Cutchogue, N.Y.) was denied by Vassar sophomore keeper Ali Higgins from point-blank range.

The backbreaker came a few minutes later for Vassar at the 78:28 mark, as freshman Gavriella Kaplan was ruled onside on a throughball from classmate Sheeva Seyfi and beat Valiant senior keeper Ali Bromson (Suffield, Conn.) for her third of the year.

Goaltending was solid for both teams on the day, as both Bromson and Higgins made five saves. In addition to the shot disparity, the other big difference came on corners, as Vassar held a 5-1 edge on corner kicks and converted two of those into goals.

Manhattanville (0-4-0) will return to action tomorrow, as the Valiants play day two of the Valiant Classic against Montclair State University starting at noon.  The game will be broadcast live on GoValiants.TV  starting at approximately 11:55 a.m. Vassar (3-0-0) will play Eastern Connecticut State University in the final game of the Valiant Classic tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.  Both games will have live stats available on GoValiants.com.