Eastern University Women's Soccer scored three second half goals to down visiting Alvernia College in front of a homecoming crowd. Jill DiRenzo scored a pair of goals and added an assist as the Eagles scored three times in the last twenty minutes of the match.
The first half saw the Eagles controlling action, but failing to find a difference-making chance. Eastern fired ten shots in the first period, but only forced Alvernia keeper Kirsten Kelley to make two saves. The Crusaders committed to keeping their defense organized and sacrificed any attacking notions as they took no shots in the opening half and only four long-range efforts for the game.
The second half opened with the Eagles pushing into the Crusader zone early with more creativity and putting together more shots on goal. It looked like the Eagles would break the tie with two efforts on corners around the sixty minute mark. On the first Ashley Hackman's header went off the underside of the bar before being cleared off the line for another corner kick. On the next play Nicole Grindle fired a shot in traffic that the Alvernia defender on the back post cleared away and the game remained level.
The Eagles finally delivered in the final third on a goal late in the 70th minute. DiRenzo finished from twelve yards out on a sharp pass from Corie Brant. Brant had provided service from the left side throughout the contest. Three minutes later, Eastern scored again. This time DiRenzo nodded a Lauren Roe cross into Nicole Grindle's path. The junior wing hit a first time shot for her eighth goal of the year.
In the 87th minute, DiRenzo finished her 17th goal of the season on a nice combination with Grindle on the left side. With the goal DiRenzo, who scored six goals as a freshman, ties the Eastern single-season goal scoring record set by Ruthie Parkinson in 1998. The Eagles still have four regular season games to play this year. DiRenzo has reached the mark without a hat trick on the year.
Coach Mouw said of the game, "We struggled early, and I take responsibility for that. We did not anticipate how deep they were going to sit, and we struggled to adjust to their hyper-defensive tactic. We need to work on patience and a little greater precision against that tactic. Corie's attacking on the flank provided us with the big boost we needed to unlock the game, and Jill finished another pair of goals."
For the match, the Eagles out-shot the Crusaders 22-4. Amanda Daveler made a single save to preserve the shutout. Eastern returns to action Wednesday afternoon at Immaculata University.
Box Score
