Wildcats Swamp Gators 12-1

LONGMEADOW, Mass.- Freshman forward Jailinne Ruiz (Hadley, Mass.) notched her first collegiate hat-trick leading the Wildcats to their first 2015 victory 12-1 over the Gators of Pine Manor College today at Ryan Field in NCAA DIII regional women's soccer action. Ruiz scored the first goal in the 13^th minute, with senior fellow forward Megan Tancredi (Newington, Conn.) notching the second and eventual game winner at 19:21 in the first half.

The two would team-up for the third goal with Ruiz finding the back of the net at 19:54 off a cross from the corner from Tancredi. Tancredi would finish with 2 goals and one assist. 

Pine Manor began the game with only a 10 person bench, while Bay Path's head coach Chris Streeter decided to play down two at the start to make a fair playing field. At one point in the game Coach Streeter had the minimum of seven players on the field. At about the 25^th minute of play, Coach Streeter brought the back line up to play forwards and also made a keeper change. Defenders' senior Brittany Briggs (Arlington, Vt.) and junior Jillian Barry (Jewett City, Conn.) scored the next two goals in the first  half each assisting the others goals.

Bay Path's goal keeper Alma Rizvani (Prospect, Conn.) was unable to play due to injury. The Wildcat's reserve keeper Kristen Lynch (Belchertown, Mass.) started in goal for the Wildcats, but then switched up heading back to midfield trading places with senior midfielder Katie Mikolajczak (Griswold, Conn.). Lynch faced two shots on goal with two saves. Mikolajcak tallied nine saves and allowed only one goal.

Lynch would conclude the scoring in the first half with less than a minute left off a cross from freshman defender Samantha Drapinski (Malden, Mass.) The Wildcats would head into the halftime break with six goals to the Gators zero.  

Ruiz, Lynch and Tancredi would quickly add three more insurance goals coming off the break. The seventh and eight goals unassisted with Tancredi's goal at 57:18 and freshman midfielder Megan Mackie (Kaiserslautern, Germany) added the assist.

The Gators' sophomore forward Ashley Whiteshield (Seward, Alaska) broke up the shut-out in the 61^st minute scoring off a free kick.

Mackie and Drapinski would answer that goal at 76:31 to score the 10^th goal for Bay Path. And finally after many attempts, Drapinski would net the final two goals of the game with the 11^th goal off a Lynch cross and the final goal of the game at 84:06. Drapinski would finish with two goals and two assists, while Lynch tallying a stat at every category including two goals, one assist and two saves.

The Gators goalie freshman Jesta Gilmore would suffer the loss allowing 12 goals on 20 shots, saving eight for the match.

Bay Path is now 1-3 on the season, while Pine Manor falls to 0-4. Bay Path will be back in action on Thursday, September 17^th at a 4:00 p.m. match against Green Mountain on the road.