OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College women's soccer team picked up the 4-0 victory on the road Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 16, over Skyline Conference opponent the College at Old Westbury. With the win, the Valiants remain undefeated in conference play and sit atop the Skyline standings.
 
The Crimson and White (8-6, 6-0 Skyline) kicked off the scoring in the 13th minute when sophomore midfielder Dani Fanning (Mission, Texas/Sharyland Pioneer) tallied her first goal of the season. Following a Valiants drive down the near side of the field, the Panthers (7-8, 2-4 Skyline) regained possession but a failed clearing attempt landed the ball right on Fanning's foot. She launched a shot on the far side from nearly 30 yard out and arched it high over the keeper's head to make it 1-0.
 
Later on in the 31st minute, Manhattanville was able to take the 2-0 advantage thanks to sophomore forward Amaya Gonzalez' (Buena Park, Calif./Western) 10th goal of the season, assisted by junior forward Ashley Pacheco (Throggs Neck, N.Y./Pelham Prep). Junior midfielder Natalie Pelaez (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) started the play with a throw-in, finding Pacheco who proceeded to dribble around an Old Westbury defender. Pacheco then found Gonzalez with a through ball at the top near corner of the box. Gonzalez lifted the ball high over the head of the Panthers' keeper into the center of the net for the score. An own goal by the home team with seconds left in the first gave the Valiants the 3-0 lead heading into the break.
 
The final goal of the game came in the 53rd minute when senior forward Samira Davis (Stockholm, Sweden/Kungsholmens Gymnasium) scored, thanks to a nice find from Pelaez. Pacheo began the exchange by finding a streaking Pelaez down the far side of the box, who immediately kicked the ball toward the net. The attempt was slightly redirected by Davis, who snuck a dribbler past the keeper for her fifth of the season to make it 4-0.
 
Manhattanville held the 16-3 advantage over Old Westbury in shots on net, while sophomore goalkeepers Alexa Pyatsky (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and Steph Shalhoub (Yorktown, N.Y./Lakeland) combined for the shutout. Pyatsky played the first half and earned the victory, making one save, while Shalhoub recorded a pair of saves as she played the entirety of the second.
 
The Valiants return to action this weekend as they travel to Newburgh, N.Y., in a battle for first place in the Skyline against Mount Saint Mary College on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19, at 1:00 p.m. Both teams are undefeated in conference play, with Manhattanville at 6-0 (18 points) and the Knights at 5-0 (15 points). The Crimson and White own the 8-7-1 all-time series lead over Mt. St. Mary, winning eight straight from 1999-2006. The Knights took last year's meeting – the first between the two in 12 seasons – 1-0 in Newburgh.