Women's Soccer falls to Saint Joseph, 4-0

(West Hartford, Conn.) The Rivier University Women's Soccer team wound up on the wrong side of a 4-0 decision at the University of Saint Joseph Wednesday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference game.

Rivier is 6-10 overall and 1-9 in the GNAC while St. Joseph improved to 9-6-2 overall and 6-3-1 in the conference. The first half was played in a driving rain, which tapered off early in the second half.

Katie Mirabella (Seymour, Conn.) got the Blue Jays on the board after 16:37, on the team's 10th shot of the early going. Sara Barnick (Watertown, Conn.) played a ball over the top and Mirabella scored in the box from seven yards. In the 31st minute, Dayna Gambino (Newington, Conn.) had a shot saved by Rivier goalkeeper Lauren Goodspeed (Merrimack, N.H.) and Emily Burke (Windsor Locks, Conn.) poked in the rebound from point blank range for her team-leading eighth goal of the season and 2-0 USJ lead. Three minutes later Lindsey Cifaldi (Wolcott, Conn.) converted a corner kick from Shelby Tallman (Colchester, Conn.) and the Blue Jays took a 3-0 lead into halftime.

Mirabella scored her second goal in the 62nd minute after some nifty cross-field ball movement. Burke and Gambino had assists and Mirabella's blast from outside the box on the right flank found the upper left portion of the goal.

Goodspeed had 18 saves for the Raiders and Melissa Dodge (Watertown, Conn.) made five saves for the Blue Jays. USJ outshot Rivier 31-8 overall, 22-5 on goal and had an 8-0 edge in corner kicks.

Rivier is at Albertus Magnus College on Saturday at 5:30pm in their next contest. St Joseph hosts Johnson & Wales, also on Saturday afternoon.