PURCHASE, N.Y. – A five-goal first half was more than plenty for the Manhattanville College women's soccer team on Tuesday evening as the Valiants bested Skyline Conference foe SUNY Old Westbury by a final of 7-1. The victory moves the Valiants to 2-5-0 on the season and a perfect 2-0-0 to open up conference play.

Outshooting the Panthers 33-4, offensive chances came in bunches for Manhattanville. The offensive eruptions over the last two games that have seen 16 total goals scored by the Valiants is an encouraging sign for a team that was only able to score twice across the first five games of the year.

Kelly Barrera (Port Chester, NY/Port Chester High School) and Jennifer Xiong (Connelly Springs, N.C./East Burke) both had two goal nights for the Valiants. The senior Xiong now leads the team with four tallies on the season, while for Barrera the pair of goals represented the firsts of her season. Natalie Aracena (Bronx, N.Y./Riverdale Kingsbride Academy), Morgan Passley (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) and Megan Leser (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) rounded out the scoring with a goal each. Passley and Leser also added an assist to their statlines, while Aracena ended the night with a pair of helpers.
 

It took just 2:29 after the opening whistle for the Valiants to strike as Barrera fired in a pass from Aracena to the left of a diving Evelyn Martel. Ten minutes later, Aracena notched her second assist on Leser's goal as the junior tucked a shot in to the lower left corner. Leser would go on to assist Xiong's first of the night a minute later with the senior burying a sharp-angle try from the left of the net, putting the Valiants ahead 3-0.

Manhattanville would add two more in the half. In the 29^th minute, Barrera struck again off a feed from Passley before the rookie worked her way into the scoring column herself in the 38^th minute. After firing 17 shots in the opening 45 minutes, Manhattanville staked claim to a 5-0 lead at the half.

Five minutes into the second half, Aracena collected her third goal of the season on a free kick opportunity. Xiong then closed the book on a second-consecutive great offensive performance by the Valiants in the 51^st minute, scoring her second of the night to give the Valiants a 7-0 lead.

Old Westbury would ultimately get on the board in the 58^th minute as Jayda Birch shot a penalty kick attempt past Macey Girard (Branford, Conn./Branford) to the lower right corner of the net. That would be the lone blemish on the rookie netminder's day, as Girard made a pair of saves to secure the win.

The Valiants held a 7-2 advantage in corner kick opportunities on the night. Martel played just over 56 minutes in net for the Panthers, allowing all seven goals and making three saves. Natalie Intrieri closed out the night with 33-plus minutes of scoreless play, making four saves.

Up Next
The Valiants return to the pitch on Saturday to host Mount Saint Mary at 1 p.m.

VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.  #WeAreValiant #GoValiants