Aug. 16, 2009
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State women's soccer team started off the season with a bang, beating Gannon 3-0 on Sunday afternoon, in their first exhibition match at Krenzler Field.
The Vikings were powered by senior Jessica McCloy, junior Marley Greiner and freshman Jaime Avona, who each scored a goal while sophomore Natalie Daniels, who led the team in scoring last season, added a pair of assists.
McCloy got the Vikings started with a goal in the 12th minute, off of a corner kick from Daniels. McCloy corralled the ball at the top of the box sending it in off the first bounce, beating the goalie high and to the right.
CSU got off to a slow start following halftime with the second unit playing against Gannon's starters, but livened up after Avona scored in the 77th minute with a kick in from the left corner of the box off of a Greiner assist from the sideline.
Greiner stayed in action, scoring her own goal in the 81st minute from Daniels' second assist on the day. Daniels got the ball at midfield, pressing hard on the attack, then slipped the ball passed the defenders to Greiner who beat the charging goalie low and to the right.
Red-shirt junior Shannon Saunders defended the goal during the second half, ending with four saves on the day. She teamed with starter Kelly Zinkiewich to record the shutout.
"I was pleased with our effort this afternoon," head coach Derrek Falor said. "We had a pretty good week of practice, and I thought we continued that this afternoon."
"We did a nice job controlling the ball, and creating scoring opportunities in the first half, but we just couldn't finish the plays. We could have easily scored three or four goals in the first half."
"I wanted to be able to play my bench today, to give everyone a chance, so we started the second half with most of the second unit in and Gannon pressed us hard. When I went back to the first unit is when play picked up for us, and we were able to score some goals."
"I'm happy with our freshman, they got a good taste of what college soccer is like, and it bodes well for them down the road. Now we will rest a day and get ready for Mercyhurst on Tuesday night, which will let our kids experience when we play two matches in three days during the regular season."
The season is already heating up for the Vikings, as they scored three goals in their first contest since the 2007 season.
The Vikings are set to host Mercyhurst in their second exhibition match, Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Krenzler Field. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m..
