MILWAUKEE – The Mount Mary University soccer team defeated visiting Andrews University (0-8) in a 6-0 victory today at Mount Mary Field. The Blue Angels (6-6) are just two wins away from tying the school's single season win record with three games left to go.
It was an explosive first half for the Blue Angels in their final home game of 2016. MMU scored five goals in the first half, with the first coming six minutes into the game when Kaeli Stellings (Fr./Beloit, Wis.) stole a pass from Andrews in the penalty area, then quickly set and drilled a shot into the net for the Blue Angels first goal of the night.
Teammate Alexa Ahlgrim (Fr./ Inverness, Ill.) scored two goals back-to-back after senior Logan Ormeroid (New Berlin, Wis.) set Ahlgrim up with a pass through multiple defenders for the first of the two goals.
Stellings knocked in her second goal of the game at the 36 minute mark for the freshman's second multi-goal game of her collegiate career. The goal also put Stellings in second place in the Association of Division III Independents goals (10) and points (23).
Karina Salgado (So./Chicago, Ill.) knocked in the half's final goal after she received a pass from Becky Onan (Jr./Grafton, Wis.) with just 90 seconds left to go in the frame.
The final goal of the game came with 32 minutes remaining when Mu Chi Plaw (So./Milwaukee, Wis.) stole the ball from the opposition and fed Allison Klotz (Fr./Port Washington, Wis.) down the left sideline. Klotz broke away from one defender, then riffled a shot as another Cardinal defender came charging. The shot bent around the defenders and goal keeper to make the score 6-0, and gave Klotz the AD3I lead in goals (11) and points (24).
Head Soccer Coach Jon Gulrajani talked about the overall team play, "We talked about pressuring as a group and making it difficult for them to play, the team did a great job executing the game plan. Andrews played hard and fought all game, they made us work for our goals tonight."
Hannah Rose (Fr./ Jeromesville, Ohio) finished with her third shutout of the season with two saves in the game. The win give Rose a record of 6-5 on the season.
"It was senior night so the team really wanted to finish our last home game on a positive note. Logan [Ormeroid] and Zecilia [Alamillo-Roman] mean a great deal to the program, they have seen the good times and really fought through the bad times." Head Soccer Coach Jon Gulrajani went on about his seniors, "The sacrifice, commitment, and how much they care about their teammates really showed in their play tonight. We will miss them greatly next year. The good news for them is they have a chance to play three more games on the road and really finish their careers on a high note."
The Blue Angels will now get ready for their final road trips of the season. First they will head to Hancock, Mich. on Sat. Oct. 15 to face AD3I rival Finlandia (0-7). The teams previously played on Sept. 24 on Mount Mary Field, when MMU won 3-0. Game two of the season series will have live video available at mtmaryathletics.com.
