Aug. 31, 2007
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Fueled by a number of strong freshmen debuts and a dominating second half, the St. Bonaventure women's soccer team posted a 3-0 season-opening shutout of Cleveland State at Krenzler Field in the inaugural Cleveland State Fall Classic.
The Bonnies outshot the Vikings 16-10 for the game, including 12-3 in the second half as they earned their first season-opening win since 2004.
"I thought it was a great team effort," said second year head coach Manoj Khettry. "We created a lot of great scoring chances throughout the game and were able to capitalize. I'm extremely happy for our seniors to start their final season with a win."
The Bona starting lineup comprised of four seniors, two sophomores and five freshmen. Rookie keeper Amanda Prestigiacomo got the starting nod in net and made three first half saves to earn the win. Fellow freshman Nicole Markert played the final 45 minutes in goal, making one save to solidify the shutout.
The freshmen combination of Marilyn Wargo and Jamie Dentino produced the first and eventually game-winning goal in the 23rd minute. Dentino dropped a free kick from 10 yards out in front of the net and Wargo headed it past Cleveland St. keeper Kelly Zinkiewich for the 1-0 lead.
"The freshmen we have don't play like freshmen," Khettry said. "They have a strong understanding on how we want to play and they do it with a lot of confidence."
The Vikings managed to apply solid pressure throughout most of the first half, outshooting St. Bonaventure 7-4. Prestigiacomo was up to the challenge as she turned away three shots during the first 45 minutes of her collegiate career.
The Brown and White offense began to click in the second half, as freshman Courtney Bosse found the back of the Vikings' net off a feed from sophomore Katelyn Shelofsky in the 60th minute. Bosse scored from 15 yards out as the tandem perfected and 2-on-1 break.
Continuous pressure in the Cleveland State end of the field led to the third Bonaventure goal just 21 minutes later, as senior Kristin Sotak put the game away with a blast from 18 yards out.
"The backs were extremely solid all game," said Khettry. "Kristin has been our best attacker from the defense end and she is very comfortable pushing up and getting into the mix on offense."
St. Bonaventure will enjoy a day off tomorrow before hitting Krenzler Field again on Sunday for a 12:30 p.m. tilt against MAC foe Ohio. The Bobcats fell to DePaul, 2-0, in the first game of the day.
