The Central Connecticut State University women’s soccer team picked up their third Northeast Conference (NEC) win of the season after defeating the Delaware State University Hornets 6-0 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at CCSU Soccer Field.
The Blue Devils were on a two-game win streak coming into Sunday’s match. Their previous game was a 2-0 victory on the road against Mercyhurst University on Sunday, Sept. 29. Delaware State came into the game having lost 3-0 at home to Saint Francis University on the same day.
Central put pressure on Delaware State’s defense in the first few minutes of the game with a few early corners, as well as a shot by Aoife Horgan in the second minute that was saved by the Hornets’ goalkeeper.
The Blue Devils were in control of the game from the start, controlling possession and constantly playing in the Hornets’ half of the field. When Delaware State did get the ball, it wouldn’t be long before a misplaced pass or tackle put it right back at the feet of a Blue Devil who would then go right back on the attack.
Midfielder Emma Radoncic opened the scoring for Central in the 11th minute after she finished a cross from defender Leah Howe to make it 1-0. It was Radoncic’s first goal of the season.
Less than nine minutes later, the Blue Devils would go on a scoring rampage, scoring three goals in quick succession. Forward Riley Powers scored back-to-back goals in the 20th minute and in the 21st minute, and defender Kiley Yepes scored Central’s fourth goal in the 22nd minute.
When asked how she was able to score two goals in two minutes, Powers said she looks for open spaces to run into.
“I think just looking for those open spaces, seeing where I can make a run and where my teammates are running,” Powers said. “I’m always moving in the box, and just looking for the ball.”
Central’s next goal wouldn’t come until the 66th minute when midfielder Daniela De Souza finished a cross from forward Aoife Horgan to make it 5-0. The final goal came in the 75th minute when Central defender Charlotte Simmons scored off of a corner pass from midfielder Gia Edwards to make it 6-0.
By the end of the game, Central had outshot Delaware State 22-5. Central also had 12 corner kicks to Delaware State’s 1 corner kick.
With the win, Central moved to 3-7-1 overall on the season, 3-1 in the Northeast Conference. Delaware State moved to 0-11-1 overall on the season, 0-3-1 in the Northeast Conference.
Central’s head coach, Mick D’Arcy, said while he was happy with the win, he was also happy that his team kept Delaware State from scoring a goal.
“To win 6-0, you have to be happy with that. And to get the shutout is the bonus part of that too … Our defense takes a lot of pride in not conceding goals,” D’Arcy said. “Overall, I was happy to win. We scored lots of goals, and different people scored today.”
D’Arcy said the win will boost the confidence of the team and prepare them for their next game against Wagner College, a rematch of last year’s NEC Championship final that CCSU won 4-3 on penalties.
“It’s just the overall confidence of winning another NEC game. That’s big,” D’Arcy said. “That’s three in a row that we’ve won. We look to carry that momentum, and confidence is a huge part of that momentum. If we’re confident, it helps a lot going into the next game against Wagner … and hopefully the performance today will help us get ready for that game.”
CCSU captain Aoife Horgan said the team had been working hard in practice the past week to prepare for the game.
“Overall, it was a very good performance …We worked really hard in practice all week and we were trying to get connections in their half of the field. I think today it worked well. We got to the endline and crossed the ball in. Overall, it was a good performance, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Horgan, who had a goal in each of Central’s previous two matches and was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week last week, had an assist but didn’t score against Delaware State. She said she wasn’t concerned with scoring and was happy to get the win.
“I just want the team to win, so I’m not really worried about scoring goals,” Horgan said. “Obviously it’s good to get on the score sheet, but I think today we proved that a lot of people on the team can score, and I’m happy for them. They work really hard.”
CCSU next travels to play Wagner College at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10.
