Last weekend, the Geneseo women's soccer team continued its hot start, shutting out both Medaille College and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford to improve to 4-1 on the year.
On Thursday the Knights traveled to Medaille and picked up a 7-0 victory. Geneseo dominated the first half, outshooting Medaille 14-0. The women took a 3-0 lead into halftime with junior Anne Beinetti scoring twice and sophomore Emily Novak adding another. The Knights had a well-balanced scoring attack led by Beinetti and fellow junior Kelly Bergin, who also contributed two goals.
Geneseo kept the pressure on Medaille in the second half, scoring four goals to extend its lead to seven. Bergin scored both of her goals in the second half and also assisted on a goal from junior Sophie Fitzsimmons-Peters. Sophomore Cailin Kowalewski notched her first goal of the year in the second half and junior Bre Glynn also pitched in, assisting on two goals.
Senior goalie Katie Clerkin led the Knights' defense, making two saves to earn her third shutout of the season. Head coach Nate Wiley said that the back line has allowed just one corner kick and 18 shots on goal in five games thus far: "We have an experienced back line," he said. "Having players that can come off the bench has been helpful to keep our players fresh. They're a committed group."
The Knights picked up another road win Saturday, beating the Pitt-Bradford Panthers 3-0. Bergin scored her third goal of the week in the first half to give Geneseo a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Though the women played well for most of the game, they were unable to add an insurance goal until late in the second half.
"It took us a little while to find our legs," Wiley said. "We knew we were going to create opportunities, it just took us a while to find the final piece."
The second goal for the Knights came with about 10 minutes left in the game when senior Jane Matejcik scored on a pass from freshman Olivia Panepinto. Panepinto also assisted on Bergin's goal in the first half. "Having a freshman be able to step in during her first few matches has been amazing," Wiley said.
Beinetti scored her sixth goal of the year a few minutes later to give the Knights a 3-0 lead. Freshman Julia Sanger saved the lone shot she faced in net to earn the shutout in her first piece of collegiate action.
Geneseo outshot the Panthers 43-1. The large shot advantage against Pitt-Bradford is not something that is new to the team.
"Going into conference play, the ability to have the ball more than the other team is crucial," Wiley said. "Creating opportunities and limiting opportunities is important."
Geneseo opens SUNYAC play Saturday when the Knights host SUNY Brockport.