Box Score

Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College women's soccer team put up five goals against a solid Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) squad today, shutting out the Knights, 5-0, to tie a program record for wins in a season with eight, dating back to 1997. The win moves the Seahawks to 8-3-2 on the year and 2-2 in the Northeast Conference (NEC), while FDU falls to 4-6-1 and 1-3 in the league.

The Knights controlled the pace of the game to open the game, testing Wagner goalkeeper Katie Marcy (Bellmore, NY / John F. Kennedy) on shots by Stephanie Austin and Rashidah Sherman. Both bids were easily grabbed by Marcy, as she eclipsed the 60-save plateau for the year.

Wagner picked up the tempo as the game progressed, mounting multiple quality scoring opportunities. Sophomore Jackie Nicholas (Rockville Centre, NY / South Side) broke the scoreless tie in the 16^th minute when she broke free from the Knights' defense, and accepted a slippery through-ball from fellow forward Julie Vigliotti (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy). The team's leader in goals wasted no time getting her shot off, as she simply placed the ball past FDU goalie Stephanie Tanzi and into the back of the net for her fifth goal of the year and a 1-0 Wagner lead.

The Seahawk offense clicked again just 15 minutes later, when Nicholas dribbled through Tanzi who had come out to challenge the streaking forward. Nicholas dribbled into Tanzi's defensive support, but a deflected shot attempt came to the feet of junior Alyssa Grecco (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) who poked the ball into the open net, extending Wagner's lead to 2-0.

After being outshot 4-0 through the first 15 minutes, the Green & White went on a run, wrapping up the first half with an 8-7 advantage in shots, taking the two-goal lead into the break.

The Green & White weren't finished offensively, tacking on three goals in less than five minutes midway through the second frame. Junior Monica Zurich (Montvale, NJ / Pascack Hills) opened the flood gates at the 72^nd minute mark, when she got on the other end of a Terryn Marette (Chevy Chase, MD / Chevy Chase) corner kick, heading her shot into the top right corner for her second goal of the year.

Four minutes later, sophomore defender Amanda Sieferman (Tucson, AZ / Canyon Del Oro) blasted a 35-yard free kick on goal, forcing Tanzi to make the save, pushing the shot up and off the crossbar. Vigliotti came out of nowhere, beating her defender to the loose ball, and burying a shot into the back of the net for her fourth of the season.

Wagner's fifth goal came just a minute and a half after Vigliotti's mark, when Zurich and freshman forward Alyssa Azzinaro (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) built up a couple of one-touch passes before Zurich rifled a right-footed shot into the side netting. Azzinaro's assist marked her first collegiate point, as the Seahawks locked down a 5-0 home victory to remain unbeaten at Wagner College Stadium with a 6-0-1 record.

Marcy finished the game with 10 saves for the Seahawks while recording her league-leading seventh shutout of the year. Tanzi ended the contest with seven saves for the Knights.

The Seahawks will wrap up their weekend homestand on Sunday when they host the Blackbirds of Long Island at 1:00 p.m.
 
NOTES: The eight wins ties a program record for wins in a season, dating back to the 1997 season when the Seahawks went 8-12-0 … The '97 team is the only squad to have advanced past the regular season and into the NEC Tournament, falling to No. 1 seed Central Connecticut St., 4-0 … Wagner's five goals in today's game are the most tallies the team has put up since a 7-0 victory over Delaware State in 2009.