Women's Soccer Falls to Sage in Season Opener

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Sophomore Cansu Usta (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) scored from 35 yards out in the goal in the 17th minute to cut the deficit to one, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's soccer team couldn't find the back of the net again falling 9-1 to visiting Sage College in their season and Skyline Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Aviator Field.

How it Happened

• Sage got on the board quickly when Savannah Mason took advantage of an early corner and headed in a service from Nicole Bauer just 1:26 into the contest.
• Jamie Hovendon put the Gators up 2-0 in the 17^th minute with her first goal of the season before Usta responded on the ensuing kickoff, catching the Gator goalie off her line and lobbing a ball from midfield that found the back of the net.
• The visitors tacked on five more first half goals taking a 7-1 lead into the lockers and scored two quick goals early in the second stanza.
• With the Lady Bears playing down a player for the majority of the game due to injury, Sage controlled possession and finished with a 27-9 shot discrepancy for the game.

For the Lady Bears (0-1, 0-1 Skyline)

• Cansu Usta finished with a team-leading four shots
• Pamela Chernyakhovsky also registered three shots, two coming on goal, as the Lady Bears finished with nine shots for the contest.
• Izabella Armstrong made eight saves in taking the loss in goal in her first collegiate game.

For the Gators (3-2, 1-0 Skyline)

• Savannah Mason's goal was her team leading third of the season.
• Nine different Gators scored a goal including three scoring their first of the season.
• Jamie Hovendon and Nicole Mayer both recorded a goal and an assist
• Ariannah Logan had two assists as the Gators recorded seven assists in total.
• Nicole Maher earned the win in net, making two saves and improving to 2-0 on the season

Notable

• After finishing as the NCAA Division III leading goal scorer last season, Usta's goal was her program-leading 37th of her career.
• It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs and the first official Skyline Conference contest for SJC Brooklyn in any sport.

Up Next for the Lady Bears

St. Joseph's will return to action on Wednesday, September 16 at home at Aviator Field welcoming Mount Saint Mary in a league contest starting at 6 p.m. That game will open a doubleheader with the men who will host York College in a non-conference game at 8 p.m. Live stats for both games can be found on SJCBears.com.