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Hilbert Hawks win Alfred Tourney

women's soccer held opponents scoreless
Release Date:
September 8, 2009
Contact:
The Office of Sports Information
(716) 649-7900 ext. 333

The Hilbert women’s soccer season is heading in the right direction this fall. They are starting out with a 3-0 record (best start in program’s history) and capped off the first week of the season by winning the Alfred University Tournament.

At 7 pm Saturday, September 5th Hilbert College faced Cazenovia College at Merrill Field in the night cap game of the opening round in the Alfred University tournament. Hilbert’s Maggie Fage (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) scored the lone goal in Hilbert’s 1-0 win over Cazenovia. The senior’s goal came with 25 seconds left in the first half and was assisted by sophomore Kayla Norman (Brockport, NY/Brockport). 
 
Hilbert outshot Cazenovia 15-4. Hilbert sophomore goalie Mary Zinni (Batavia, NY/Batavia) made two saves to earn the shutout, her second in as many games.
 
In the first game of the tourney, host Alfred lost 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout to Thiel College after the two teams played to a scoreless draw after regulation and two sudden death overtime periods.
 
On Sunday, September 6th, Hilbert again played their game at 7 pm but this time for the championship against Thiel College. Again, Kayla Norman was the player to score the game winning goal when she scored off a rebound in front of the net at the 58.14 mark in the game. Coach James Ruggiero gives a great color commentary on the play, “Alyssa Hulbert (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) fired a really difficult ball at goal and Kayla was perfectly positioned to pounce on the rebound.” In this short season to date, Norman has two game winning goals to her credit.
 
Mary Zinni secured her third shutout of the season in net on Sunday. She was not called upon to make a save and this was due in large part to the tough defense her teammates provided. “We played very well in the final game; we were focused defensively and didn't allow Thiel many quality shots.  Our defense was organized and communicated much better,” said Ruggiero.  “We got great play from our centrals as well and that made the difference in the final game on Sunday. Freshman Nicole Blair (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa), Carrie Sisson (Elma, NY/Mt. Mercy), & Alyssa dominated possession and the tempo of play." Hilbert outshot Thiel 16-2 and had a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks which shows the pressure they were putting on the Thiel goal.
 
In the consolation game earlier in the day, Alfred University defeated Cazenovia College 3-0. 
 
At the conclusion of the championship game, the All-Tournament team was announced; it included two players from each participating school and Hilbert's two players selected by the committee were  sophomore Alyssa Hulbert and junior Carrie Sisson.
 

Hilbert will be making its first overnight trip when they compete next at Clarkson and Potsdam on Saturday and Sunday, September 12th and 13th.

 

 


Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs, one a master’s in criminal justice administration and the other a master’s in public administration, and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.