HIRAM, Ohio - A first half goal by
Hannah Zangara was all the Gators would need, as they picked up their third straight shutout victory with a 1-0 win over Hiram in North Coast Athletic Conference action.
The Gators out-shot the Terriers 16-7, including 10-4 over the second half, but the early marker by Zangara stood as the game's lone goal. With the win, Allegheny improves to 11-5 overall, and 4-1 in NCAC play, while the Terriers drop to 5-10-1, and 0-5-1 in the NCAC. The win, coupled with Kenyon's loss to Wittenberg, puts the Gators in a tie for first place in the conference with three matches remaining.
The majority of play in the opening 25 minutes took part in the middle third of the field, as the two teams combined for just two shots and one corner kick over the span. The Gators then seized momentum offensively, posting a trio of shots in a two-minute span, while enjoying a number of long possessions deep in Terrier territory.
Allegheny finally broke through in the 32nd minute, when Zangara took a pass from
Jessie Thiessen at the top of the box and placed a shot into the corner of the net for her third goal of the year. With the assist, Thiessen, the reigning NCAC Player of the Week, extended her point streak to five straight games.
The Gators had two more shots over the final 10 minute of the half, and looked to have a third with just under a minute left, but it was whistled offside, keeping the Gator advantage at 1-0 at the intermission. Over the first half, Allegheny owned a 6-2 advantage in shots, with five coming in the final 20 minutes.
The Gators looked primed to add on to its lead in the opening stages of the second half, as they racked up seven shots in the first 12 minutes. However, Hiram keeper Kallie Reed made three saves, while the Terriers also benefited from a Gator blast off the post, to keep their deficit at one.
Reed made two more saves on close-range shots in the 63rd minute, before Hiram put together its first sustained threat of the half, posting five shots and two corner kicks in a seven-minute span. Allegheny keeper
Gabby Curtis made a trio of saves over the span, including a beauty in the 79th minute on what proved to be the host's final offensive threat of the match.
Curtis earned her NCAC-leading eighth shutout of the year by making four saves, while the Gators lowered their team goals-against average to a svelte 0.81. Reed finished the night with seven saves for the Terriers.
Allegheny will return to action on Sat. Oct. 25, playing their final road contest of the regular season, a 12 p.m. matchup against DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
