PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Madonna University women's soccer team remains undefeated after a late offensive outburst overwhelmed the Point Park Pioneers on Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh. Jamie Moceri and Sierra Nissan combined for three goals and two assists while Julia Stewart earned her third straight shutout in the victory, propelling the Crusaders to a 4-0 record on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• FIRST HALF

  • Despite outshooting the Pioneers 14-3 in the first half, the score remained tied at 0-0 after the first 45 minutes of play.

  • The Crusaders dominated play early, creating a scoring opportunity just 40 seconds into the game and dominating the first 10 minutes of play.

  • The Pioneers found their groove and were able to generate some offense late in the first half to no avail.

• SECOND HALF

  • Audrey Kopitz broke the tie for the Blue and Gold in the 60th minute off assists from Sierra Nissan and Nicolette Vultaggio, putting MU ahead 1-0.

  • After a 15 minute drought following the lone goal from Kopitz, the final 15 minutes of regulation made up for the lack of scoring in the previous 60 minutes.

  • Nissan net her first goal of the season in the 76th minute off an assist from Kopitz before Vultaggio extended her goal scoring streak to three consecutive games off an unassisted tally in the 78th minute.

  • The next three Crusader goals came in three minute increments thanks to Alexis Bozinovski in the 81st minute and Moceri in both the 84th minute and the 87th minute.

PATTON'S PARLOR

• "We controlled the ball from the first whistle and were able to dictate play for the first ten minutes of the game. Then Point Park settled into their game and began to gain traction, finding success in their offensive approach for a portion of the first half, but the overall pace slowed due to the overwhelming heat. Our girls really impressed me in the second half, taking control and winning more 50/50 balls while maintaining possession. We weren't able to capitalize right away, although the girls stuck with the game plan and found the back of the net, all while maintaining a strong defensive presence."  - Head Coach Paul Patton on the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX

• Stewart earned her third consecutive shutout, playing all 90 minutes for the Crusaders and making three saves in the victory.

• The Blue and Gold outshot Point Park by a total of 34-6, 17 of which were on frame for Madonna while only three found the net for the Pioneers.

• Kopitz and Vultaggio combined for 11 total shots and seven on frame, while 10 other Crusaders contributed to the uneven shot total.

UP NEXT

• The Crusaders return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 5th at the Madonna Athletics Complex against the University of St. Francis (Ind.) at 4:00PM.

• Be sure to check the schedule for up to date streaming information.

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