Box Score CAMDEN, N.J. – The Catholic University of America women's soccer team broke open a scoreless deadlock on a second-half own goal and tallied another goal only 17 seconds later on its way to a 3-1 victory over Rutgers University-Camden in a non-conference game here Tuesday night.
The Cardinals improve to 7-6 with their second straight victory, while the Scarlet Raptors fall to 3-8-1 with their fifth consecutive loss.
Catholic holds a 4-0 lead over Rutgers-Camden in the all-time series.
With the two teams locked in a scoreless game early in the second half, the Cardinals sent a cross from the right side across the box toward the back post. As a Scarlet Raptor defender tried to clear the ball, it deflected off her foot into the net at 61:15.
Moments later, Catholic senior midfielder
Kate Masson (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) knocked in her fifth goal of the season from the top of the box, inside the left post. Her goal came only 17 seconds after the own goal, making it the fastest two goals by an opponent in Rutgers-Camden program history. The previous mark of 30 seconds, by Montclair State, came on Oct. 3, 2009.
Rutgers-Camden added to the furious flurry of goals less than one minute later when junior midfielder
Rebecca Gougher (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) scored her first goal of the season off a feed from senior midfielder
Dawn Dixon (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley). Gougher's goal, at 62:25, snapped a scoreless drought of 460:54 for the Scarlet Raptors, who hadn't scored since freshman
Mandi Noll (Blackwood, NJ/Triton Regional) notched the third goal in a 3-0 win over Rutgers-Newark on Sept. 21.
Catholic tacked on an insurance goal at 71:40 when freshman
Sarah Madden (Yardley, PA/Villa Joseph Marie) finished off a header by
Kelly Henderson (Tinton Falls, NJ/Red Bank Catholic), which came off a corner kick by
Alyssa Fiore (Levittown, NY/Divison Avenue).Catholic out-shot Rutgers-Camden, 19-10, in the game, including 8-2 in the opening half. Early in the second half, both teams had excellent scoring chances when a close-range shot by Noll was saved by Catholic sophomore keeper
Lexi Halperin (River Vale, NJ/Pascack Valley) and a header by the Cardinals'
Kaylre Greaves (Ocean, NJ/Ocean Township) was stopped at point-blank range by Raptor senior goalie
Leighanna Milby (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional).Halperin notched four saves in the game. Raptor senior
Lauren West (Mantua, NJ/Clearview Regional) had two saves in a scoreless first half, while Milby made six saves in the second half.
Both teams return to action Saturday. Rutgers-Camden hosts Sarah Lawrence College in a 12 p.m. non-conference Homecoming Day game.
Catholic plays a Landmark Conference game at Susquehanna University, beginning at 2:30 p.m.
