BOX SCOREThe ACPHS Women's Soccer Team is the 2015 Panther Invitational Champion after freshman
Katie Benson (Clifton Park, NY) netted five goals in the Panther's 8-4 victory over Bryant & Stratton College. With the win, the Panthers improve to 3-1, while Bryant & Stratton fall to 1-1.
After a clean sheet yesterday against Holyoke, the Bryant & Stratton defense had no answer for the duo of Benson and freshman forward
Erin Tersegno (Webster, NY). The Panther's scored early and often, Tersegno opening the scoring in only the 5
th minute. A few sharp passes by the Panthers found Benson and Tersegno alone at the top of the box. Benson fed the ball around a defender to Tersegno, who sent keeper Megan Hagadorn the wrong way and gave ACPHS a 1-0 lead. Tersegno would return the favor in the 9
th minute when she released Benson through on goal with only the keeper to beat. Benson went near-post and put the Panthers up 2-0. Benson would get her brace in the 18
th minute when, following a scrum in front of the net, her third shot in succession trickled in off the far post. Tersegno would keep pace with Benson in the half, when in the 22
nd minute she beat two Bryant & Stratton defenders off the dribble and finished just below the bar to make it 4-0 Panthers. Sophomore Adela Racic would score just one minute later to cut the deficit to three, but Benson could not be stopped. With 30 seconds to go in the half, freshman
Sydney Rule (Ballston Spa, NY) found Benson at the top of the box following a corner. Benson unleashed a looping shot that beat Hagadorn at her far post and completed her second hat-trick of the season.
Tersegno would follow suit 11 minutes into the second half when
Katie Parsels (Rochester, NY) found her with an excellent pass behind the defense. Tersegno rounded the keeper and tapped in for her first collegiate hat-trick. Bryant & Stratton would show some life after that, when Racic scored back-to-back goals to complete her hat-trick and make the score 6-3. But Benson would put the game to bed with two more goals of her own, both coming from one-on-one situations with the keeper. Shareka Joseph scored for Bryant & Stratton in the 888
th minute, and that's how the game would finish.
Benson now leads the team with 10 goals, with Tersegno right behind her at 7. Parsels finished with two assists, while Nicolette Weir had two of her own in the loss.
Amy Jagareski (South Glens Falls) finished with 10 saves and improves to 3-1. Hagadorn made 12 saves and is now 1-1.
For her efforts,
Katie Benson earned Tournament MVP, with Tersegno and junior defenseman
Brittany Fuller (Whitney Point, NY) joining her on the All-Tournament Team. Filling out the team are Racic and senior captain Nicolette Weir of Bryant & Stratton, senior midfielder Alexandria Stuetzel of Holyoke CC, and sophomore goalkeeper Marissa Fortier of NHTI.
The Panthers are back in action on Tuesday the 15
th at 4:30pm, when they travel to Hudson Valley Community College.
