NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton women’s soccer team notched its first win of the season, defeating Carthage College by a 3-0 score. Lesley Baseman (Fy./ Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) got the scoring going with a long-range goal late in the first half. Lily VanderStaay (So./ Bellingham, Wash.) and Sarah Hagerty (Fy./Boulder, Colo.) tacked on goals after intermission.
“It took us a little time to settle into the game, but we were really pleased with our ability to find our rhythm in the first half and create terrific scoring opportunities,” said Carleton head coach Keren Gudeman. “We have so many players who can finish from outside, and today we saw some great examples of that.”
Baseman was the first to get into the scoring column, blasting home a 20-yard shot from the left wing. She picked up a deflected pass and drove it over Carthage netminder Angela Spinelli.
The Knights (1-3-1) actually took the last 14 shots of the first half, resulting in a 15-3 statistical advantage heading into intermission.
VanderStaay extended the lead in the 60th minute as she eluded two defenders and possibly caught Spinelli off guard with a driving shot from 15 yards away.
Hagerty’s goal in the 81st minute came came out of an excellent transitional moment. Liz Arakaki (Jr./Seattle, Wash./Nathan Hale) won the ball back in the Knights attacking half and quickly found Linnea Carlson (So./Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) in the attacking third. Carlson found Hagerty running into space and the rookie deposited a beautiful left-footed ball to the upper 90.
“We are excited to have everyone contributing, and our first years are stepping into the competitive college game in stride,” Gudeman said.
The Knights will see if Sunday’s success translates into the conference portion of the schedule. Carleton hits the road for the MIAC opener at Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday, Sept. 16. In fact the Knights will play their first five conference contests as the visiting team.
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