ROANOKE, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Soccer Team (2-8, 1-4 ODAC) picked up its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference win of the season with a decisive 8-0 victory over Hollins University (0-8, 0-4 ODAC) Tuesday afternoon at Moody Field. The eight-goal margin is the most for an E&H team since a 9-0 win over Peace College early in the 2011 season.
"We are heading in the right direction," said Head Coach Linda Schirmeister-Gess after the match. "We did the simple things well today and that is going to translate to more success for us in the coming weeks."
Emory & Henry was led by freshman April Yopp (Franklin, County Va.), who scored three goals in the victory. The last time that an E&H player netted a hat trick was against Hollins in 2012 when Emily Belanger (Tampa, Fla.) accomplished the feat.
The Wasps got on the board in 18th minute when junior midfielder Blair Vaughn (Gate City, Va.) scored an unassisted goal. E&H made it 2-0 at the 26:04 mark when senior forward Bethany Myer (Hickory, N.C.) headed a cross by freshman midfielder Christina Ameen (Sweetwater, Tenn.) past the goalkeeper.
Yopp added three more goals for Emory & Henry prior to the end of the opening 45 minutes. Sophomore midfielder Gabby Paspa (Hickory, N.C.) provided the assist for the first goal with 9:17 to go before the break. Yopp made it a 4-0 contest just 16 seconds later with an unassisted strike. The freshman completed the hat trick in the 40th minute, while sophomore midfielder Allie Hooper (Cosby, Tenn.) made the assist.
In the second half, Vaughn made it 6-0 for the Wasps with her second goal. She was assisted on the play by senior midfielder Erica Merriman (Cornelius, N.C.). Emory & Henry added two more goals late in the game as Belanger tallied an unassisted score in the 80th minute and Hooper found the back of the net in the 82nd minute, assisted by Ameen.
Senior Becca Hansen (Lumberton, N.C.) picked up the shutout win in goal for E&H. Hollins' Megan McKee made 26 saves despite the loss.
Emory & Henry will return home on Sunday for a 2:00 p.m., ODAC contest with Randolph College.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15