Army Storms Past Holy Cross

Wednesday, September 22

Worcester, MA

6 PM

Army West Point

4-4-2, 1-0-1

Holy Cross

1-8-1, 0-1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Army West Point	4	1	5
Holy Cross	0	1	1

Army Storms Past Holy Cross

September 22, 2021 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

GAME 10
SCORE	Army 5, Holy Cross 1
SCORERS	Army - Jasmine Talley (3', 15'), Izzy Fontana (39', 74'), Trinity Garay (10') Holy Cross - Avery Gardner (57')
RECORDS	Army (4-4-2, 1-0-1 PL) Holy Cross (1-8-1, 0-1-1 PL)
LOCATION	Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium (Worcester, Mass.)

WORCESTER, Mass. – An offensive outburst helped the Army West Point women's soccer team pick up a big win on the road on Wednesday night, as the Black Knights defeated Holy Cross 5-1 at the Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium.

Jasmine Talley and Izzy Fontana led the attack with two goals apiece, securing the first multi-goal games of their respective careers, and were joined on the action by Trinity Garay.

Talley was the first to strike, getting the Cadets on the board less than three minutes into the match. After being fed a ball by Emma Richey, she fired it into the bottom right corner to hand the team its early advantage.

Less than seven minutes later, Garay's third goal of the season made it a 2-0 game. Her shot was assisted by Kaelan Bradley, marking the first of the rookie's career. In the 14th minute, Talley went on to round out the early spurt with her second goal of the night, which was assisted by Dara Murray.

After facing early pressure, the Crusaders were able to find a bit of rhythm and eventually fired off their first shot 20 minutes after the opening whistle. Though the attempt was on-frame, keeper Sage Strohman was there to make the stop.

Unable to be detained for long, Army's offense struck one final time before the halftime break when Fontana lifted a ball into the top left corner of the net. Madison Niebish was credited with the assist for her first point of the season and helped the team to push the lead to 4-0.

Holy Cross attempted to gain some control back following the pause and, after taking two of the first three second-half shots, ended the shutout with a goal in the 57th minute of play.

Though the Crusaders' strike trimmed the advantage down to 4-1, it did not prove to be consequential as Fontana netted her second goal of the night about 15 minutes later and re-extended the lead.

As the clock wound down, Army dominated possession of the ball and the Cadets' back line was able to limit the Crusaders to just three additional shots before the game ended.

With the victory, the team picked up a crucial three points on the road, pushing Army to four through the start of Patriot League play.

Inside the Box Score

The team's 4-0 lead at the half was the largest in at least 10 years.
Today's game marks the third five-goal performance for the Cadets in the past nine seasons, joining a 5-0 victory over Rhode Island (Sept. 15, 2013) and a 5-0 shutout of American (March 20, 2021).
Army's 14 points over the Crusaders are the most since a 4-0 victory over Colgate (Nov. 5, 2019).
The Cadets earned the advantage in shots (17-11), shots on-goal (11-4) and corner kicks (9-5).
With tonight's performance, Talley now leads the team with nine points.

Coach's Corner
"Huge win on the road," head coach Tracy Chao said. "This squad stepped on the field ready in the first second. All credit to the way they handled the game in wet, rainy conditions and not only how we moved the ball and our movements to create but ultimately finishing our chances. Proud of them and our fantastic three points on the road. Now excited to get back home and focus on Loyola."

Cadets' Corner
"We knew what we needed to do and went into the game with high energy from the start. Everyone was focused and communicated well on both ends. Excited to carry this momentum into the weekend against Loyola." - Emma Richey

"Today was a perfect example of everything our team has been working on the past several weeks coming together. Finally getting the ball in the back of the net as a team and connecting our passes in the final third proved to be invaluable in achieving our result today. We hope to carry this momentum forward into our next game against Loyola, and especially hope to build on the progress we have already made for the rest of our season." - Jasmine Talley

Up Next
Following a two-match road swing, the Cadets will return home to play host to Loyola Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 25. Kick-off at Malek Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.