GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Freshman midfielder
Michaela Burke (Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert Christian) scored twice and the Grove City College women's soccer team netted three goals in less than seven minutes of game action spanning the halftime break en route to a 4-0 victory over regionally-ranked Mount Union in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon at College Field.
Senior forward
Katherine Kouzelos (Akron, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) and junior defender
Krista Heckman (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) each added second-half goals for the Wolverines (5-2) while junior defender
Claire Kocur (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) and sophomore midfielder
Morgan Vensel (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) each contributed assists.
In a match that was evenly played early on, Grove City finally got on the board in the 44th minute when Vensel crossed a ball into the box and Burke blasted it home to give Grove City a 1-0 lead into the halftime break. Burke's goal was her third of the year while Vensel recorded her first point as a Wolverine.
In the second half, it was all Grove City. Less than two minutes into the second half, Kouzelos doubled the Wolverine lead to 2-0, collecting a long pass from Kocur at the top right side of the box and ripping a shot from 20 yards out past the keeper. Kouzelos' tally was her second of the season while Kocur notched her second assist. Just a few minutes later in the 50th minute, Heckman dribbled from nearly midfield through multiple defenders into the box for a one-on-one with the Mount Union keeper before firing one in from 15 yards out to make it a 3-0 game.
Burke netted an insurance goal and her second of the match in the 61st minute by dribbling through the left side of the box and poking a shot off the keeper's glove and inside the left post to extend the lead to 4-0. Burke's goal was her team-leading fourth of the season.
Senior goalkeeper Trisha Winters (Pittsburgh, Pa./Hampton) stopped a season-high eight shots in goal to earn her first solo shutout of the season. Grove City outshot the Purple Raiders (5-2) 19-12 for the match, including 11-4 during the second half, and 12-8 on goal. The Wolverines also held a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.
Mount Union entered today's match ranked fifth in the latest United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region poll.
Grove City returns to action on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. non-conference match at Baldwin Wallace.