Five different players found the back of the net to lead the Mansfield University women's soccer team to a 5-0 victory over non-conference opponent Salem University in their home opener on Sunday afternoon, August 28.
Freshman Lauren Straub kicked off the scoring in the fourth minute off an assist from sophomore Katelyn Rueppel, beating the keeper left from inside the box.
Junior Emily Smith joined the fun two minutes out of the break, beating two defenders to weave into the box and score the second Mountaineer goal of the day.
Smith returned the favor nine minutes later as she led Rueppel to her first goal of the season to extend the lead to 3-0.
Rueppel waited just 40 seconds to pick up her fourth point of the game, linking up with junior Bailey Dockman to extend the Mounties lead to 4-0. Rueppel's second helper of the game is a tie for the single-season program record.
After missing the 2021 season overcoming a stroke, junior Madison Reinert connected on her first career goal in the 65th minute to round out the scoring.
Freshman Samantha Merklin notched her first shutout of her career, finishing with two saves in the 90-minute victory.
The Mounties finished with a game-high 15 shots on goal, led by three a piece from Rueppel and Straub.
The Tigers finished with four shots, with two coming on goal. Alexandra Issard took the loss in goal, finishing with a game-high 10 saves.
The Mounties are back in action on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. when they host Bloomsburg University.
Original source can be found here.
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