POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Different year, same results ... The Marist Women's Soccer team, who went 6-0-1 at home in 2011, kept its undefeated streak going as the Red Foxes opened their 2012 slate with an emphatic 2-1 victory over Wagner. Though the scoreboard showed just a one goal differential, the team overpowered Wagner throughout the majority of the game and overshot the Seahawks 27-4. Senior Chelsea Botta (East Longmeadow, Mass.) spearheaded the offense with a goal and an assist. Sophomore Amanda Epstein (Jericho, N.Y.) notched the other goal, a first half marker in the 38th minute.
The game opened with a fair amount of back-and-forth play as both teams felt each other out. During the first 26 minutes of action, Marist got off eight shots, while Wagner registered three. From this point on, the Red Foxes took over control of the midfield and offensive zones and outshot the Seahawks 19-1 in the final 64 minutes.
Some of the Red Foxes best opportunities in the first half came off of corner kicks where juniors Rycke Guiney (Naperville, Ill.) and Samantha Panzner (Livingston, N.J.) showed off strong legs with keen placement numerous times. After two Guiney to Marjana Maksuti (Delmar, N.Y.) connections barely missed the net on headers, the third attempt, a Panzner to Botta connection, would break Marist into the scoring column in the 38th minute. At 37:59, Panzner floated a high corner kick towards the penalty mark, where a leaping Botta headed the ball towards the goal and an waiting Amanda Epstein would bicycle kick the ball from inside the six-yard box.
With that goal, Epstein moved into the top ten all-time in Marist career goals with 12 and career points with 30 in her brief time in Poughkeepsie.
At the half, Marist had outshot Wagner 15-3 and taken more corner kicks at 9-0.
In the second period, the Red Foxes kept the pressure in the Seahawks end. After shots by Jackie Frey (Monroe, N.Y.) and Alycia Cartica (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) were denied by Lisa Capelli, a foul outside the 18-yard box would put Wagner's defense on its heels again. Guiney restarted the ball with a soft chip over the defense to a charging Botta, who powered in a header from just outside the six-yard box.
Wagner would finally get into the scoring column in the 82nd minute as Sydney McCarthy took advantage of a loose, bounding ball in the box to beat goalkeeper Caitlin Landsman (Burke, Va.) along the goal-line to make the score 2-1.
Marist controlled the final eight minutes and secured the 2-1 win to redeem itself after a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat last season at Wagner.
Individually, Epstein led the offense with a team-high seven shots, four of which were on goal. Maksuti and Guiney also registered four shots for the Red Foxes. In goal, sophomore Andrea Wicks (East Northport, N.Y.) earned the win with a clean sheet in the first half as she denied Wagner's lone shot on goal.
The Red Foxes will next be in action on Friday, Aug. 24 when they travel to Newark, N.J. to take on NJIT in a 7 p.m. matchup.
