Women’s Soccer Defeats Undermanned VTSU-Randolph

Auburn, ME – The CMCC women's soccer team bested an understaffed Vermont State University-Randolph on Saturday afternoon 5-0. The Mustangs voluntarily fielded just a nine-player lineup to match the nine players available for the Knights. The win keeps Central Maine undefeated in YSCC play.

Four players made their first starts of the season for CMCC, and two Mustangs scored their first goals of the campaign. Goalkeeper Emma Koch recorded her first win in net, while Olivia Varney led the offensive effort with a two-goal performance, her fourth game with a tally this season.

Both teams struggled to create chances and figure out the 9-vs-9 format in the early going. Central Maine was held to mostly looks from tight angles around the penalty area through the first half hour.

When the breakthrough did finally come for the Mustangs, it was followed almost immediately by a second. In the 42^nd minute Olivia Varney powered a dipping left-footed shot from the top of the box just beyond the reach of VTSU-Randolph goalkeeper Zoe Corey. The first-year from Pittsfield, ME then added her fifth of the season just over a minute later. This time Varney was a little further out, but got the same result; her shot fizzing over Corey and just under the crossbar for a 2-0 lead.

Whatever adjustments head coach Rob Rodriguez made at halftime seemed to do the trick, as Alaynah Leblond made it 3-0 less than two minutes after the restart. The freshman from Old Orchard Beach ran onto a through pass into the area and sent her shot across the goal and into the side netting. It was Leblond's first goal of her college career, and she logged plenty of minutes in just her second action of the season since returning from injury.

The score stayed the same until the hour mark when disaster struck for the Knights. A cross into the box produced a goalmouth scramble, and in the attempt to clear the danger, the ball deflected off a defender's leg and into the back of the net.

In the 67^th minute, Emma Knowles put the cherry on top. The usual goalkeeper played out as a forward in this one, similar to what she had done at time earlier in her Mustangs career. The Kents Hill School product showed she hadn't lost her scoring touch, running onto a long throw-in and finishing with a deft flick of the outside of her right foot past the goalkeeper to make it 5-0.

CMCC finished the day outshooting Vermont State Randolph 35-4, and Corey made 13 saves in goal for the Knights. The Mustangs improve to 4-5-1 on the season and 2-0-0 in YSCC play.

It was also the final home game of the season for Central Maine. The team has five games remaining in the regular season, all in conference. They travel to UMaine-Augusta on Monday to face the Moose. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm.