SLOPER - VALENTINE DUO PROPEL WOMEN'S SOCCER PAST STAC, 4-1
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Box Score vs. STAC - October 15, 2011
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2011) - Junior forward Nicole Valentine (Massapequa, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder/forward Allison Sloper (Williston Park, N.Y.) sported a game-best six points apiece on two goals and two assists to push the Molloy College women's soccer team to a 4-1 win against St. Thomas Aquinas College in an East Coast Conference match on Saturday at the Dean G. Skelos Complex in Rockville Centre, N.Y. With the result, the Lions put a stop on a two-game losing skid, and improved to a clip of 8-6 on the season. The maroon and white also now boast a mark of 4-2 versus ECC opposition.
Sloper and Valentine had it going early, registering the first two chances of the contest, with both straying wide. However, the Spartans (1-9-1, 0-5 ECC) wouldn't be denied on their first opportunity, as it found the back of the net. A clear attempt by Molloy was intercepted by senior forward Tori Matt (Chenango Forks, N.Y.), who sent a five-yard shot inside the right post for the early 1-0 cushion. St. Thomas Aquinas held its lead for the next 20 minutes of the period, until Sloper put the Lions on the board with 12:05 to go before the break.
Sloper controlled a long pass by Valentine from midfield. Senior keeper Julia Karl (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) then came out of the net to throw off the angle. But, the current leading scorer for Molloy went around Karl, and tied things up at 1-all. Right off the kickoff that ensued, the Williston Park native struck again. Once again, Valentine found her teammate with a through ball for a breakaway. Sloper followed up by beating Karl for the second time in 20-plus seconds, giving the hosts a 2-1 advantage. The Lions weren't done there, as Valentine touched twine three minutes later, sending Molloy into the break up 3-1.
Right out of the gate in the second half, Valentine one-timed a centering Sloper pass from the end line into the top shelf of the mesh, which wrapped up the scoring on the day for the hosts. From there, the Spartans only managed just three chances on Lions' freshman goalie Nicole DellaPorta (West Babylon, N.Y.) for the rest of the contest, which were all turned aside. The Spartans owned a 12-9 edge in shots, and a 5-3 edge in corner kicks. Between the pipes, DellaPorta made a game-high five saves. Karl stopped two shots. Individually, Matt collected a game-high five shots for STAC.
Head Coach Danny Longo and his squad are back in action on Tuesday (Oct. 17) when Molloy travels to Caldwell, N.J. to face Caldwell College in a non-conference clash. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
