ANDERSON, Ind. – The Goshen College women's soccer team continued its strong start, completing a weekend sweep with a 3-0 win over host Anderson University on Saturday.
The Maple Leafs beat both Anderson and Manchester College in the weekend's Raven/ Spartan Classic, not allowing a goal in the process. In doing so, they registered their third-straight shutout extending their defensive streak to 273 minutes without allowing a goal.
"The Anderson game was one where we wanted to use only our freshmen and sophomores with only a few exceptions," second-year head coach Fabio dos Santos explained. "We wanted to expose them to a faster-paced game and using the system currently in place."
"As expected, they were nervous as first, had great opportunities, but could not capitalize," he continued. "Once the first half was done, we regrouped, covered the issues seen and the second half was more like what we expected."
The Maple Leafs had 15 shots in the first 45 minutes, but put just three of those on frame and did not score. In the second half, they continued the strong run, but converted three chances.
The first came in the 50th minute when Anneliese Baer headed home a Katelyn Vendrely corner kick for her second career goal. Just three minutes later, Naomi Moreno dribbled through a maze of Raven defenders and struck for her first career tally.
Junior Dana Christner capped the scoring in the 83rd minute, beating a defender near the edge of the box and curving it past the keeper to the left side. Senior Lynn Weaver was in net for the Leafs, converting her second-straight shutout and tenth of her career.
"This was a great experience for our young players," dos Santos added. "Playing under pressure and having to deliver is something we put on them every day in practice so when the games come, they will deal with it easily. I am proud of how they recovered in the second half."
The Maple Leafs (3-1) will look to continue their hot start - best since 2008 when they also started 3-1 – when they host Andrews University on Tuesday.
