Women's Soccer: Knights Down Lazers 4-0, D'Amico Scores Two

By Karuga Koinange

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD -- In the second game of day two of the CCBC Essex Soccer Kickoff Classic, the Knights women notched their first win of the season with a convincing 4-0 victory over the Onondaga Community College Lazers, Sunday morning at CCBC Essex Stadium.

Interim head women's soccer coach Joe Fiedler said the team was excited to bounce back after suffering a tough 10-1 loss against NJCAA Division I 16^th ranked Monroe College in the season opener on Saturday.

"It feels great [to win this game]," Fiedler said. "[The] girls worked hard and I thought we deserved it. They played well."

The Knights (1-1) started off with an aggressive approach, pushing the pace and getting off two shots on goal within the first five minutes of play.

Their fast-paced approach paid off early as sophomore midfielder Bailey D'Amico (Perry Hall) scored the first goal of the contest off a timely feed from freshman midfielder Mia Ramirez (Mercy) just under 10 minutes into play.

CCBC Essex nearly extended its lead several times midway through the first half as freshman forwards Taylor West (North Point) and Mikayla Boyle (Eastern Tech) each fired a shot on goal, but Lazers' sophomore goalkeeper Betsy Davis played stout defense in the box, coming up with two saves.

Knights' freshman goalkeeper Peyton Apruzzese (Severn Park) also impressed in the first half as she made back-to-back saves in one-on-one situations with 15 minutes left to go in the half.

The Knights remained aggressive for the rest of the period, but they couldn't convert and took a 1-0 lead heading into the break.

CCBC Essex continued its offensive-minded strategy early in the second half as the team ripped off three shots on goal in the first five minutes of the period. The home team dominated possession and took advantage of Onondaga's sloppy ball handling, constantly applying pressure on the Lazers' defense.

"[The pace of play] was good," Fiedler said. "We've been working on aggression to the ball and it paid off today so I was really happy with it."

D'Amico found the back of the net for her second score of the day after an accurate through pass from Boyle just 10 minutes into the stanza.

"It felt great to score two goals," D'Amico said. "I feel like we have better people in the middle this year to feed us the ball. Chemistry wise, this year's team is a lot better at connecting. We do a lot at practice and it feels more natural."

Boyle recorded a goal of her own 10 minutes later as she chipped in a shot off a rebounded miss from D'Amico, extending the Knights' lead to 3-0.

Freshman forward Kaci Davis (Sparrows Point) left the game midway through the half after suffering a wrist injury. It was confirmed later in the day to be a broken wrist and the time table for her return is still pending.

Fielder stressed that though the team will miss Davis, this is an opportunity for someone else to step up.

"You really can't compensate for losing players," Fiedler said. "Hopefully some other girls will take up the slack. It's a good opportunity for them."

Despite a sizeable lead, CCBC Essex remained on the attack as Ramirez recorded her first goal of the season midway through the half to seal the win for the Knights.

"I thought our movement was good," Fiedler said. "I'd like to score a couple more but I'm not upset with how we played. We played very well."

Onondaga tried to counter by attacking the middle of the Knights defense, but Apruzzese made two late saves in the period to complete the shutout.

"It feels amazing," Apruzzese said regarding the shutout. "Especially since I was banged up after the game on Saturday. It felt great to go back out on Sunday and support my team."

The Knights defense as a whole played well, attacking the ball and limiting Onondaga's possessions.

"The big thing was communication," Knights' sophomore center back Madison D'Amico said. "We kept our shape, and pushed as a team, shifted as a team, which resulted in [four] offside fouls to Onondaga."

"It felt great to be back on the field," D'Amico added. Prior to this weekend's play, she had not played soccer since an arm injury last September.

The Knights will look to build upon the momentum from this win as they host Harcum College Thursday night. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. at CCBC Essex Stadium.