NASHUA, N.H. – First year midfielder Izabella Warren (Hillsboro, N.H.) netted a pair of goals to lead the Simmons University women's soccer team to a 3-0 victory over host Rivier Univesity this evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action on Joanne Merrill Field in Nashua, N.H. The Sharks have won two of their last three matches and improve to 3-11-1 overall, including 3-7-0 in league play, while the Raiders fall to 2-11-2 and 0-9-1.
Simmons controlled possession for most of the night, owning a 13-4 shot advantage, including 6-1 in the first half, to go with an 8-3 margin on corner kicks.
Warren scored her first goal just under 35 minutes into the first half and her second marker just under 32 minutes into the second stanza. The multi-goal effort was the second of the season for the rookie.
Warren was able to corral a loose ball inside the 18' and bury it into the back of the net for her first goal to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead with 10:23 left in the opening half. The marker held up as the only score of the period to give Simmons a 1-0 edge at the intermission. Warren's second tally, in the 78th minute of play, broke a span of over 42 minutes without a goal from either team and gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead. The midfielder lifted a shot from 35 yards out and tucked it into the upper right corner for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Sophomore back Gabby Cacia (Watertown, Mass.) provided an insurance goal for Simmons with her first goal of the season coming on a perfectly placed corner kick that snuck just inside the near-side post, coming just 59 seconds after Warren's second score, for a 3-0 advantage.
Sophomore forward Jaida Mitchell (Raymond, N.H.) and first year midfielder Mikayla Zulon (East Bridgewater, Mass.) each put a shot on goal to pace the Rivier offense.
First year keeper Melanie Colman (Holliston, Mass.) stopped two shots to record her third shutout of the season for the Sharks, while senior goalie Kasey Smith (Hopkinton, N.H.) turned away seven shots for the Raiders.
Simmons returns to action on Saturday, October 26 when it hosts GNAC foe University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Daly Field at 12:00 p.m., while Rivier travels to Buzzards Bay, Mass. tomorrow night to take on Massachusetts Maritime Academy at 7:00 p.m.