UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's soccer team recorded its second victory over Michigan Tech this season with a 3-0 shutout Thursday afternoon at Robert C. Braddock Field.
The Cardinals improved to 6-3-0 overall and 4-1-0 in GLIAC play behind goals from Abby Ellis (Waterford, Mich., Waterford Mott HS), Kylie Cesarek (Macomb, Mich., Dakota HS), and Emily Kolodin (Grand Blanc, Mich., Grand Blanc HS). SVSU controlled the match offensively with a 21-4 advantage in shots and put 12 attempts on goal while limiting the Huskies to two shots on target.
The Cardinal defense dominated and held the Huskies to two shots per half with both shots on target coming in the last six minutes of the match. Michigan Tech did not record a shot for over 75 minutes between attempt two and three.
Saginaw Valley wasted little time taking the lead. Ellis opened the scoring just 2:11 into the match off assists from Ryleigh Gray (Belle River, Ontario, E.J. Lajeunesse) and Gracie Cwik (Bartlett, Ill., Bartlett HS). The goal was Ellis' fourth of the season.
The Cardinals continued to apply pressure throughout the opening half and doubled their advantage in the 19th minute. After Melanie Kolnitys (Midland, Mich., H. H. Dow HS) had an attempt saved and go out for a corner, Cesarek found the back of the net with the header off Kolodin's set piece to make it 2-0. SVSU finished the opening 45 minutes with a 14-2 advantage in shots and forced nine saves from the Michigan Tech goalkeeper over the match.
SVSU added its third goal in the 67th minute when Kolodin scored her first goal of the season off an assist from Kolnitys. The goal capped a three-point afternoon for Kolodin after assisting on Cesarek's first-half tally.
The Cardinal defense kept Michigan Tech from putting a shot on goal until the final six minutes of the match. Ava Wilberding (Grand Rapids, Mich., Forest Hills Central HS) stopped both attempts to finish with two saves and her fifth shutout of the season.
Saginaw Valley finished with advantages of 21-4 in total shots and 12-2 in shots on goal. Kolnitys and Ellis each recorded four shots, while Kolnitys put three on target. Dezarae Mathis (Hastings, Mich., Hastings HS) added three attempts with two on goal.
Head coach Tyler Channell had this to say about the dominant win,
"The ladies were fantastic today from start to finish. It started off with a great goal from Abby Ellis which showed great quality in her finish to give us a good boost to start the game. Throughout the match, we rarely conceded any chances and were able to play 26 players showing our quality and depth. We felt a little hard done by how we played them last time, so the team was motivated to have a dominating performance which they were able to achieve. We go against aa quality Northern Michigan side for Sunday which should be a great contest!"
Up Next: Cardinal women's soccer is back at home on Sunday, September 27 for Senior Day. SVSU hosts Northern Michigan at 1 PM at Robert C. Braddock Field with the Senior Day festivities starting at 12:30 PM.
