SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Senior Alyssa Werbicki (Chicopee, Mass.) potted a pair of goals to help lead American International College past Saint Michael's College, 4-0, in Northeast-10 women's soccer action this evening from Abdow Field.
With the win AIC runs their winning-streak to three and improve to 6-4 on the year and 5-2 in the NE-10 while the Purple Knights fall to 1-9-1 overall and 0-8 in the conference.
The Jackets opened the scoring early off a perfectly executed corner play as senior Meimi Tomochika (Toshima-ku, Japan) inserted the ball low into the box and it was chipped further by freshman Johanna Nilsson (Ulricehamn, Sweden). From there it found the head of senior Romina Bell (Stockerau, Austria) and was finished by freshman Federica Frew (Melbourne, Australia) with a beautiful side headed shot the keeper tried to kick out, but it found the back of the net for the 1-0 edge in the 15th minute.
American International kept the pressure on and grabbed a two-goal advantage as it was junior Brianna Kenney (Longmeadow, Mass.) servicing the ball into the box for Werbicki and the senior finished from point blank range in the 22nd minute.
AIC controlled the entire first half and took that 2-0 advantage into the locker room with a commanding 14-1 lead in shots.
Right out of the gates in the second half they almost put the game even further out of reach as Nilsson chipped the ball into the box past her defender and blasted a shot, but Knight senior Kaylee Sullivan (East Greenwich, R.I.) got the gloves to it to thwart the threat just 31 ticks into the final frame.
Werbicki eventually did make the game 3-0 in favor of the hosts, with her second score of the game, as she collected the ball outside the box and fired to the left post to beat the keeper top left in the 61st minute. AIC then benefited from an Own Goal late in the game to account for the final score.
The hosts outshot the visitors 26-3 including an 11-1 edge in shots on target while also leading 5-0 in corner kicks.
Graduate student Rachel Edgin (Whitesboro, N.Y.) made one save as she improved to 6-4 on the year with her fourth shutout. Sullivan stopped seven shots in the setback to fall to 0-6-1 on the season.
The Jackets return to action on Friday as they travel to Southern Connecticut for a 7 p.m. affair.
