Photo Credit: Gerome Wright
Brooklyn Heights, NY – The Wagner College women's soccer team will kick off its Northeast Conference (NEC) schedule on Sunday afternoon, as the Seahawks square off against first-year program, St. Francis Brooklyn at Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 5.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WAGNER:
- In the non-conference finale on Wednesday at Temple, the Seahawks were able to cut the Owls' lead in half in the 61' and had a chance for the tying marker but was unsuccessful as Wagner was edged by Temple, 2-1.
- A minute into the second half, Temple broke through with the first goal of the match as Hailey Gutowski put one past Seahawk goalkeeper, Erin Kelly.
- Within a two-minute span, Wagner had a pair of chances as junior forward Mya Donnelly nearly put one in but her chance was denied by Morgan Basileo. The second chance, from sophomore forward Luisa Barone, was also stopped by Basileo.
- Temple added its second score in the 59' when Gabriela Johnson put one in after receiving a pass from Marissa Digenova.
- The Green & White broke through in the 61' as senior tri-captain, Maria Nunez, netted her fourth goal of the season, getting the feed from graduate transfer, Mariana Jaramillo.
- For Nunez, she has now recorded a goal in back-to-back matches, upping her career goal score tally to 12, while Jaramillo was credited with her first career assist in a Seahawk in uniform.
- The visitors worked hard in trying to get the match-tying goal, as in the 79' freshman defender Annie White had a chance on net but that turned away by Basileo. A couple of minutes later, senior defender Autumn Clark's chance was also denied by the Owls' goalkeeper.
- In the final moments of the contest, Donnelly blasted a shot that sailed high over the goal. Following a foul on Temple, the Seahawks were awarded a corner kick with a minute left in regulation. Jaramillo stepped up and launched the ball into the box that found the foot of sophomore midfielder, Gabby Cipriano, but her attempt was blocked by an Owls' defender as Temple held on for the victory.
- Kelly finished with four saves on the evening while her counterpart, Basileo, notched seven stops. Donnelly led the way with four shots while Barone and Jaramillo recorded two shots apiece.
SERIES HISTORY:
- Sunday's contest is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
- St. Francis Brooklyn, a charter member of the NEC, is in its inaugural year as a Division I women's soccer program.
WAGNER IN CONFERENCE LIDLIFTERS:
- All-time, the Seahawks are 5-19-1 in conference openers.
- In their last three NEC opening matches, Wagner is 1-1-1.
- The Green & White is looking for its first road league victory since September 30, 2016, when the Seahawks defeated LIU, 5-3, in Brooklyn.
ALLEN NAMED #NECPRIMEPERFORMER:
- The Northeast Conference (NEC) announced in its weekly release that junior midfielder Le'la Allen was selected to the Week 4 #NECPrimePerformer List.
- The Piscataway, NJ native tallied the game-winner in overtime on Sunday, lifting Wagner past Iona, 3-2.
- For Allen, it marked her second straight Sunday recording a goal, giving her two on the season and six for her career.
NUNEZ ASCENDS UPWARDS ON CAREER LIST:
- Senior forward and tri-captain, Maria Nunez, is rapidly ascending on several all-time career marks here at Wagner.
- With two goals in her last two matches, she is now tied for eighth all-time with former Seahawk, Briana Vassallo, who notched 12 goals from 2007-10.
- Should Nunez score in Brooklyn Heights against the Terriers, she will tie a pair of former Seahawks for sixth-place on the all-time career goal list with Johanna Konrad (2012-15) and Samantha Jensen (2012-15).
- Additionally, the East Greenwich, RI native has collected 24 all-time career points, which is currently good for ninth all-time. She will need four points to tie Jensen, who finished with 28 career points.
- Nunez has 82 career shots attempted, good for eighth in program history while her 43 shots on goal are now fourth all-time and just needs one more to tie former Seahawk, Jackie Nicholas, who played from 2010-13, and ended her tenure with 44 shots on goal.
ABOUT ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN:
- The Terriers, under first-year head coach Justine Lombardi, are looking for the program's first-ever victory, as they concluded non-league play at 0-7.
- After being shutout in the first six matches, SFBK fell to Iona, 3-2, on Wednesday in New Rochelle.
- St. Francis Brooklyn struck first as Henriette Lykke received a long entry pass into the attacking zone from Margaret Motolese as Lykke netted home the first-ever goal in program history.
- Three minutes into the second half, SFBK netted its second tally of the match, this time off the cleat of Maya Madjercic as she got the feed from Lykke.
- Iona went on to score in the 59' and 80' to tie the match at 2-2 before Amber Crispin belted home the game-winner in the 84'.
UP NEXT:
- The Seahawks return home to Hameline Field on Friday, September 27, as Wagner plays host to Sacred Heart under-the-lights at 7:00 p.m.
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