ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University women's soccer team got its first win of the season on Friday defeating the Mount Mary University Blue Angels 8-0. The Regents eight goal win margin was the largest since September 2011 and it was also the first shutout for Rockford since September 2011.
As a team the Regents completely controlled the entire match. Rockford outshot Mount Mary 39-2 including a 25-2 advantage on shots on goal.
The Regents wasted little time scoring their first goal less than ten minutes into the match. Freshman Melissa Hernandez (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere) jumpstarted the Rockford offense receiving a long pass over the top of the defense and driving it into the back of the net. Less than two minutes later, Stephanie Bolger (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) made it a 2-0 Rockford advantage with her first goal of the season. The Regents added two more goals in the first half with one of the two coming off the foot of Christine Hermann (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park). Junior Danika Mollway (Rockford, Ill./Harlem) concluded the scoring in the first half with shot into the upper right had corner of the goal to give her team a 4-0 halftime lead.
The second half was a near mirror image of the first as Rockford once again scored four times. Melissa Hernandez again got the scoring started as she took a cross in front of the goal in the 48th minute of the match punched it past the goalie for her second goal of the afternoon. Moments later, Danika Mollway scored her second goal of the match off a similar cross in front of the net. Rockford was not done yet as Christine Hermann then became the third Regent to score multiple goals on the day when she found the back of the net in the 63rd minute putting Rockford up 7-0. Hernandez concluded the scoring with her third goal of the game and secured the Regents 8-0 win.
Freshman Goalie Alyssa Nicholson (Braidwood, Ill./Reed Custer) recorded the first shutout of her collegiate career. Nicholson faced just two shots in the match making saves on both.
It was the first time since the 2008 season that the Regents have had a trio of players score multiple goals in the same match. Hernandez' three goal performance was Rockford's first hat trick since Alexa Torman scored 5 goals in a match in 2011.
The women's soccer team looks to build off of today's win when it hosts the Dominican University Stars on Saturday, October 20th at 1:00 p.m.
