CORTLAND, NY – Sophomore forward
Gianna Cirilla (Patternsonville/Schalmont) netted a goal in each half, and the Cortland women's soccer team improved to 2-0 on the year with a 2-1 home victory over Smith College on Saturday afternoon on Holloway Field. Smith drops to 0-1-1 on the season.
Cirilla's two goals came on six shots on target to lead the team.
Tyla Vuotto (Lynbrook) and
Maia Allard (Castleton/Columbia) each registered an assist in the game.
Cortland's defense held Smith to just two shot attempts in the contest, with the Red Dragons holding a decisive 25-2 edge, including 13-1 in shots on goal.
Jenna Marsh scored the lone goal for Smith, with Amelia Dion providing an assist. Riley Cioffi-Smith started in goal and made four saves in the first half, before giving way to Catalina Mozzo in the second half, who recorded seven saves.
Cirilla opened the scoring under eight minutes into the first half. Allard had a defensive interception near midfield and fed a pass to Cirilla just outside the 18-yard area, before Cirilla spun and fired a shot low perfectly placed into the bottom left corner of the net for the goal.
Cortland had a couple good chances to add to the lead around the half-hour mark.
Gigi Piscopiello (Stony Point/North Rockland) dribbled between the legs of a defender down the right side and whipped a cross into the box to Cirilla, but the shot was blocked out of play by a defender. Just minutes later,
Piper Klammer (Mahopac) made a similar run down the right side and crossed to Vuotto in the box, but Vuotto's shot was also blocked by a defender.
The game remained 1-0 into halftime, with Cortland holding Smith without a shot attempt in the half.
Cirilla doubled the Cortland lead in the 62nd minute, controlling a cross from the right side from Vuotto, a looping a right-footed shot off the left post and into the net to make it 2-0.
Mozzo made a pair of stellar strong saves over the next minutes to keep Smith within range, including a diving save to deny Cirilla of a third goal in the 64th minute.
The Bears pulled back to within a goal at 2-1 in the 74th minute on their lone shot on target of the contest. Dion dribbled from the right side towards the middle of the field on the edge of the penalty area, and slipped a pass to Marsh for a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.
The Cortland defense regrouped after the goal, holding Smith without a shot attempt for the remainder of the contest to secure the win.
Prior to the contest, Cortland honored its seven seniors for Senior Day: Piscopiello, Klammer, Vuotto,
Jillian Nicolosi (Farmingdale/St. Anthony's),
Seneca Devendorf (Beekman/Arlington),
Maria Deraco (Suffern), and
Gabby Skartsiaris (Medford/Patchogue-Medford).
