Women’s Soccer Buzzes Past Mass. Maritime, 9-2

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's soccer team cruised to a 9-2 victory at Massachusetts Maritime Academy on a drizzly Monday evening as four different players found the back of the net.

The Lions improve to 2-2-0 on the year with the win while the Buccaneers fall to 0-2-0 overall.

The guests jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a strike in the 13th minute. Kyndall Fry (Tampa, Fla.) buried her third goal of the season as she scored off of a direct free kick from just outside the box.

Eastern Nazarene added a goal in the 17th minute to stretch the margin to 2-0. Kennedy Dowling (Nashua, N.H.) fired a left-footed shot into the lower right corner of the cage to collect her second marker of the year.

The Lions tacked on a score in the 21st minute to widen the gap to 3-0. Diamond Best (Danvers, Mass.) finished off a breakaway attempt with a slotted shot past the goalkeeper for her third tally of the fall.

The home side got on the board in the 41st minute to trim the deficit to 3-1. Madison Taylor finished a feed from Anna Deeley for her second goal of the year.

The visitors responded just 24 seconds later to reclaim a three-goal edge, 4-1. Sam Bernardi (Longmeadow, Mass.) bagged her team-leading fifth goal of the season off of an assist by Fry.

Eastern Nazarene had a chance to chalk up its fifth score of the opening half but Fry's penalty kick in the waning seconds of the period was saved by the Buccaneers' goalkeeper.

The Lions carried the 4-1 advantage into the halftime break after outshooting Mass. Maritime 20-6 in the first frame.

Eastern Nazarene benefitted from an own goal to extend its lead to 5-1 in the 49th minute.

The away side chalked up a goal in the 59th minute to push its lead to 6-1 as Bernardi netted her sixth tally of the year and second of the match off of a centering pass by Best.

The Lions added a score in the 62nd minute to stretch their advantage to 7-1. Bernardi notched her seventh marker of the season to complete the hat trick.

Eastern Nazarene moved ahead 9-1 on a pair of strikes less than 30 seconds apart in the 86th minutes - an open-net goal by Best before Bernardi picked up her eighth score of the fall to record her second four-goal performance of the season.

Mass. Maritime collected a late goal to slice the margin to 9-2 in the 89th minute as Taylor netted her second goal of the night.

The Lions concluded the contest with 38 shots while limiting the Buccaneers to 10 attempts.

Rookie Sarah Moschini (Upton, Mass.) posted four saves in her fourth start of the season.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene travels to former league foe Curry September 13.