BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Saint Joseph's women's soccer team capped its non-conference schedule with an impressive showing at LIU Brooklyn on Friday as the Hawks topped the Blackbirds, 4-2.
With Friday's victory, Saint Joseph's set a new program best start to the season as it improved to 7-1-1 surpassing the previous mark of 6-2-1 set by the 1997 Hawks. Sophomores Dakota Mills, Taylor Ryan and Jessica Volm and freshman Gabrielle Vagnozzi each scored for SJU as it scored a season-high four goals.
Mills opened the scoring for the Hawks at 8:01 as she converted a corner kick from classmate Paige Bergman to score her team-leading seventh goal of the year.
Ryan extended SJU's lead to 2-0 at 21:20 after taking a pass from Vagnozzi inside the LIU Brooklyn box and directed a shot that found the back of the net.
The Blackbirds (0-8-0) cut the Hawks' lead to 2-1 in the 39th minute, but Volm answered back at 44:20 taking a pass from Aimee Manley and beating the opposing keeper to give SJU a 3-1 lead at halftime.
Vagnozzi extended Saint Joseph's lead to 4-1 at 55:41 scoring from inside the Blackbirds' box.
LIU Brooklyn struck back to make it 4-2 in 64th minute, but SJU goalkeeper Cameron Perrott and the Hawks' defense held the hosts off the board from there to preserve the win.
Saint Joseph's returns to action next Thursday, September 29, when it hosts George Washington at 7 p.m.
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