BRONX, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College women's soccer team attempted 19 shots on net and tallied seven goals in a dominant performance Wednesday evening, Sept. 11, on the road as the Valiants defeated Lehman College 7-0 for their first victory of the 2019 campaign.
 
Five players found the back of the net for Manhattanville (1-3), led by rookie Izzy Rosa (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) and sophomore Brigid Sullivan (Vienna, Va./Paul VI Catholic), who each scored a pair. Rosa also lead all players with 10 shot attempts and a game-high-tying four shots on net. Four other players tallied points for the Valiants as well, while sophomore keeper Steph Shalhoub (Yorktown, N.Y./Lakeland) made her first start of the season – second of her career – and recorded three saves for her first-career shutout.
 
The road squad pestered the hosting Lightning (0-6) from the start of the match, attempting seven shots and earning four corners in the first 20 minutes before finally breaking through at 19:52 into the first. The score came following sophomore Ashley Hayes' (Springfield, Ore./Thurston) corner kick, which was put away off the cross via a header from Sullivan for her first goal of the season and Hayes' first point of the campaign.
 
Just over 10 minutes later, the Valiants struck again, this time off the foot of sophomore Amaya Gonzalez (Buena Park, Calif./Western). Following a pair of corners in the 28th and 29th minutes, Gonzalez possessed the ball just outside the box and found the back of the net in the 31st minute for her first of the season. Less than a minute later in the 32nd minute, rookie Dori Grasso (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) registered her first-career collegiate goal to put Manhattanville up 3-0.
 
Nearly eight minutes had passed but the Valiants once again capitalized on a flurry of corner opportunities. Hayes once again lined up her attempt, and following action in front, Sullivan again found the back of the net, this time off her foot, for her second score of the game in the 40th minute. Despite several more shot attempts, Manhattanville took the 4-0 lead into the half.
 
It wasn't 10 minutes into the second before rookie Natalie Aracena (Bronx, N.Y./Riverdale Kingsbride Academy) was able to score her second goal as a collegian in the 55th to put the Valiants up 5-0. Up next was her classmate Rosa, who put her first of the game – and of her career – past the Lehman keeper in the 67th minute after Grasso's shot was saved and Rosa jumped on the rebound.
 
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the match, Rosa scored once more thanks to a nice pass from Aracena in the 80th minute. Just after her score, Rosa exited the match for a substitution, where sophomore Alexa Pyatsky (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) – the Valiants' primary goalkeeper – entered the contest for her first-career appearance as a field player. She wasted little time and attempted her first shot in the 84th minute, but it was stop by the Lightning's keeper and the game ended with Manhattanville holding a 7-0 advantage.
 
With the monkey finally off their backs, the Valiants will return to the pitch for a home match against SUNY New Paltz at GoValiants.com Field in Purchase, N.Y., this Saturday afternoon, Sept. 14, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.