ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Using an offensive barrage of 24 shots, thirteen of them being on target, the Manhattanville University women's soccer team overwhelmed Cedar Crest, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon. With the result, the Valiants collected their first victory of the season, pushing their record to 1-1-2 in their final non-conference tune-up match. 

Manhattanville fired fifteen shots in the first half, putting eight on goal, two of which found the back netting. In what was a scoreless 35 minutes to start the contest, the Valiants broke the deadlock thanks to a crucial substitution, bringing on Kailey Roxo (Seymour, Conn./Seymour), as she set up Mia Castaneda (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) for her first goal of the 2024 campaign. Just under five minutes later, Manhattanville would add another to their total, with another substitute making their impact, with Johanna Gibson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Edward R Murrow) scoring her first colligate goal, linking up with fellow freshman frontman Drita Tinaj (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), to have the score sit at 2-0 in the Valiants favor as the halftime whistle blew. 

The Valiants continued the same dominance displayed in the first half in the second stanza, once again outpacing their counterparts in the shots department, 9-5. At the 53rd minute mark, Kelly Barrera (Port Chester, N.Y./Port Chester High School) netted her first goal of her senior campaign from a Roxo feed, for Roxo's second assist of the day, pinning the score at 3-0. Manhattanville would continue to dictate the pace of play up until the final whistle blew, giving the Valiants their first victory of the season. 

Macey Girard (Branford, Conn./Branford) started in net for the Valiants, generating one save in 58 minutes total. Alexa Bennett (Sparrowbush, N.Y./Port Jervis Senior) rounded out the ninety minutes between the sticks, turning away three shots. 

Fourteen different Valiants produced a shot with eleven tallying a shot on goal including Jenna Moraglia (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford), Caitlin Ward (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown High School), Olivia Watson (Walden, N.Y./Valley Central), Megan Leser (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining), Natalia Sanchez (Katonah, N.Y./Somers), Alexandra Brauer (Lake Grove, N.Y./St. John The Baptist Diocesan), Alessia Cioffi (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling), and Deanna Lage (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland).  

All told, 24 Valiants saw action in Saturday's contest. 

Up Next 

Manhattanville returns to GoValiants.com field for a two-game home series, kicking it off against USMMA on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. 

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