Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (September 5, 2009) – Looking at the shot differential between Vassar College and Elms College, one would think that Saturday's women's soccer matchup at Gordon Field was not a close one, as Vassar outshot Elms, 35-4. However, the final score did not reflect the statistical imbalance, with the Brewers defeating the Blazers 3-1 despite dominating play throughout the game. The tenacious play of Alix Zongrone propelled the Brewers to victory, as the sophomore midfielder netted two goals in the win, her first career multi-goal game. Junior Allison McManis provided the insurance goal for Vassar with less than a minute to play.

The Brewers improve to 2-0 and will travel to SUNY New Paltz for a 4:00 p.m. game on Wednesday. Playing their season opener, the Blazers fall to 0-1 and will play at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

Throughout the game, the Brewers controlled possession, won the majority of 50-50 balls, and displayed crisp ball movement, however they struggled to put together continual pressure within the Blazers' 18-yard line and were unable to capitalize for the first 67 minutes. In the 68th minute, Vassar finally broke through. Senior Anna Robinson, who continually pressured the Blazers with her speed on the wing, sent a powerful shot at goal that bounced off the crossbar down in front of the goal face. Zongrone rushed on to the ball to knock it into the net, giving the Brewers that elusive first goal. It was Zongrone's second goal of the season.

Vassar seemed energized by the goal, putting immense pressure on the Blazers with two quick shots and two corners, leading up to another Zongrone goal just over four minutes following her first. Freshman Keiko Kurita sent a quality cross to Zongrone, who maneuvered past her defender and knocked a low, well-placed shot into the left-hand corner of the net.

The Brewers continued to press Elms, with multiple close calls. Zongrone nearly recorded a hat trick, using a nice cutback move to leave two defenders in her wake and get a shot off, but Elms freshman goalie Molly Corse made a nice save, running out to block the shot. Sophomore Tessa Verbanic also came extremely close to giving Vassar a 3-0 lead, one-timing a rebound back on goal that just glanced off the post.

Despite Vassar's dominance of the ball, Elms senior Krystyna Gagne quickly made it a close game with just under three minutes to play. Gagne beat her defender on a breakaway and sent a perfectly placed shot into the right hand corner, one that freshman goalie Lexi Hutton had no chance of reaching.

With the atmosphere suddenly much tenser, the Brewers got a sigh of relief a little over a minute later. Robinson again ignited the play, getting a one-on-one look at goal on a breakaway. Corse made another impressive block, but Vassar freshman Sabrina Martins corralled the rebound and sent a perfect cross to McManis, who placed a well-directed shot into the back of the net for her second goal of the season.

Not apparent in the statistics, but crucial to Vassar's success on Saturday, was the aggressive and physical play of the Brewers in the midfield. Zongrone and junior Rachel Shea continually won 50-50 balls to start the Vassar attack. In the backfield, junior defender Elysa Greenberger's gritty play made it tough for the Blazers to make runs from the wing.

Along with the 35-4 advantage in shots, Vassar held a 20-2 edge in shots on goal, and had 11 corner kicks to Elms' two. Corse played a crucial role in keeping her team in the game, with 17 saves, and Elms senior defender Serina Percoski provided a solid presence at center back, keeping the Vassar forwards at bay. Percoski was charged with the difficult task of containing junior forward Carolyn Demougeot. Although Demougeot did not score, she did keep Percoski and the rest of the Blazer defense on their toes, leading Vassar with eight shots, four on goal. Robinson added seven shots, three on goal, while Zongrone (four shots, three on goal) and sophomore Jordan Crook (four shots, two on goal) also provided consistent pressure.

Hutton picked up the win in goal for the Brewers to improve to 1-0, making one save. Fellow freshman keeper Ali Higgins played the first half between the posts but was called upon to make no saves.