MEADVILLE, Pa. - Behind a dominating offensive performance, Allegheny upped its winning streak to five games with a 4-1 win over visiting Mount Union at the Robertson Athletic Complex.
The Gators owned a commanding 29-3 advantage in shots, including a 15-2 margin in shots on goal, and saw four different players finish with multi-point afternoons. The win moves Allegheny to 5-2 on the year, while they now improve to 15-3-1 in home non-conference matches dating to the 2008 campaign.
After a feeling out period in the early stages of the first half, Allegheny looked to take control, cashing in on a long, sustained possession in the 11th minute.
Jessie Thiessen collected a ball just inside the box, and blasted a shot on goal. Raiders' keeper Maria Favorite made the initial save, but the long rebound went directly to the foot of
Niki Augustine, who buried it for her first goal of the season.
The Gators continued to press, posting four shots and three corner kicks over the next seven minutes, but Favorite made a trio of saves to keep it a one-goal game. With just over 24 minutes left in the first half, Mount Union garnered its best possession of the stanza. The Radiers' Gina Wall took a pass just over midfield, beat one defender, and scored on a lofting shot from 15 yards out to tie the game.
Momentum quickly went back to the Gators, as they tallied eight more shots and three corner kicks over the next 10 minutes. In the 32nd minute,
Jaymee Wallace sent a lead pass to Thiessen on the doorstep. Favorite emerged from the cage in an attempt to cut the ball off, but Thiessen beat her to it, and sent the ball into the open net to give the lead back to the Gators, 2-1.
Favorite continued to make a number of big saves over the waning minutes of the half to keep the margin at one, before the Gators were able to beat the halftime buzzer to up their lead at the intermission. With 15 seconds left,
Emma Yates sent a long pass down the sideline to
Faith Robinson, who blazed through the defense and scored her second goal of the season to give Allegheny the 3-1 halftime lead. The assist marked Yates' first career point.
Over the first 45 minutes of play, Allegheny out-shot the Raiders 20-3, with Favorite making 10 first half saves.
The Gators posted the first two shots of the second half, before Mount Union looked to seize the momentum. In the 60th minute, after their third corner kick in a two-minute span, the Raiders' Megan Warner blasted an uncontested shot toward a seemingly open net, but it was knocked to safety by the Gator defense to thwart the Radiers' biggest scoring chance of the second half.
Allegheny regained control, and then ended the day's scoring with just over 20 minutes remaining. A blast from Robinson was saved by Favorite, but the rebound again went right to Augustine, who scored her second goal of the afternoon to close out the 4-1 win.
The Gator win avenged their 1-0 defeat at Mount Union last season, and moves Allegheny to 6-2-1 all-time against the Radiers.
The Gators return to action on Wed. Sept. 17, traveling to Buffalo State for a 5 p.m. non-conference match.
