Box Score ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure University women's soccer team put on an offensive explosion on Sunday afternoon with a convincing 4-1 victory over rival Niagara at a sunny Marra Athletics Fields Complex.
Four different Bonnies players found the back of the net on the afternoon including the first career goals for freshman Sydney Cerza and junior Alex Pochop. Also scoring for the hosts were Marley Jarvis and Danielle Vis.
"We told the team we needed to play with the same energy we did on Friday," St. Bonaventure head coach Steve Brdarski said. "It was great to see some players get their first goals and have four players score in different ways. We wanted to be better with our final pass and be better with our finishing in the attacking third and we did that today."
The Bonnies (1-2-1) were on the attack from the outset and cashed in during the 13th minute on a tally from Cerza. Fellow freshman Sabrina Sousa-Sampson passed ahead to Cerza on the far side of the field, allowing Cerza to make a nifty move through two Niagara defenders. She finished with a blast off her right foot past the outstretched arms of the Niagara keeper for a 1-0 lead.
Pochop put the Bonnies up by a pair of scores during the 27th minute with a highlight reel goal. Gretta LaCouture started the sequence with a pass to Pochop on the far wing. Pochop then dribbled forward, juked a defender and finished by depositing a high-arching shot from over 25 yards back that sailed over the head of the keeper.
That 2-0 lead would be short-lived, though, as the Purple Eagles (1-4-1) answered back less than a minute later. A corner kick set up a scrum in front of the net as Laura Ortiz took a rebound off a shot by Hadley Bucken, shooting through traffic to cut the lead in half.
The 2-1 margin stood through halftime, but the Bonnies remained relentless.
As the shot totals mounted, the hosts found the insurance they were looking for on a goal from Jarvis in the 56th minute. The Bona sophomore gave the Bonnies another score from long range, finding the net for the second time this season with a blast to the upper left of the net from 20 yards out.
Vis stretched the lead with her first goal of the season during the 64th minute, beating the keeper with a rocket from 12 yards away after winning a one-on-one battle with a Niagara defender.
Freshman keeper Lauren Malcolm picked up her first collegiate victory with seven saves in net.
In all, the Bonnies held a 19-13 edge in shots.
Bona wraps up its three-game homestand on Friday night vs. Youngstown State at 7 p.m.
---
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @Go_Bonnies and get women's soccer updates @BonniesWSoccer. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.
