Women's Soccer Drops Season Opener to Lehman College

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's soccer team opened their 2013 campaign with a, 4-0, loss to Lehman College on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the Cedar Crest College Tournament.

The Lady Bears (0-1) fought valiantly despite playing with only nine players as they held the Lightning (2-1) scoreless for the first 24 minutes of action but Lehman proved too strong for a shorthanded St. Joseph's squad.

The Lightning dominated the action holding a 24-2 advantage in shots including a 19-1 differential in the opening stanza.

The opening minutes saw Lady Bears senior goalkeeper Nicole Farinella (East Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport HS) face a barrage of shots as she made seven saves in the first 24 minutes before the Lightning got on the board on a shot by Andrea Vazquez that found the back of the net putting Lehman up 1-0.

St. Joseph's would continue to hold their own against the Lightning until a defensive breakdown led to two goals in less than a minute. Vazquez tallied her second goal of the day in the 32nd minute before Juliana Generoso fired a shot past Farinella that put Lehman up 3-0 heading into intermission.

The Lady Bears held their own in the second half despite being fatigued as they allowed a second goal off the foot of Generoso in the 56th minute before holding the Lightning in check for the remainder of the contest.

Farinella made an extraordinary 14 saves on the day in a losing effort while newcomer sophomore Shannon Fahy (Breezy Point, N.Y./Bishop Kearney)picked up St. Joseph's lone shot on the goal in the 76th minute.

The Lady Bears return to action tomorrow facing Cedar Crest in the consolation game of the Cedar Crest College Tournament with a start time of 12 p.m.