Women's Soccer Dismounts Cavaliers in 5-0 Victory
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UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's soccer team erupted for five goals and earned its first shutout of the season in a 5-0 victory over Walsh on Friday afternoon at Robert C. Braddock Field.
Kylie Cesarek (Macomb, Mich., Dakota HS) and Melanie Kolnitys (Midland, Mich., H. H. Dow HS) both scored a brace for the Cardinals (2-1-0), while Abby Ellis (Waterford, Mich., Waterford Mott HS) added the fifth as SVSU controlled the match with a 27-12 advantage in shots and a 12-6 edge in shots on goal. The Cardinal back line controlled every inch of turf with half of the Cavaliers' shots coming late in the match after it was 5-0 SVSU.
Saginaw Valley wasted little time getting on the board. Cesarek opened the scoring in the 8th minute to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 advantage. It was Cesarek's first goal of her career. She struck again less than seven minutes later, finding the back of the net in the 14th minute to double the lead. Both goals were scored with right footed shots to the bottom left corner.
The Cardinals continued to pressure the Cavaliers throughout the opening half and added a third in the 32nd minute. A loose ball in the defensive midfield was sent over the top by Ryleigh Gray (Belle River, Ontario, E.J. Lajeunesse) which sprung Kolnitys' run on goal. The freshman netted her first of the game and her second of the season to make it 3-0 going into halftime.
Saginaw Valley nearly added to the lead early in the second half when Kolnitys hit the crossbar in the 53rd minute. The Cardinals continued to generate chances, forcing four saves over the next 10 minutes before breaking through again.
Emily Kolodin (Grand Blanc, Mich., Grand Blanc HS) assisted on each of SVSU's final two goals, which came just 63 seconds apart. Kolnitys scored her second of the match in the 66th minute before Ellis tapped home  the pass from Kolodin in the 67th minute to push the Cardinal advantage to 5-0.
The two-goal outing continued a strong start to Kolnitys' collegiate career, while Cesarek joined her with four points in the victory. Kolodin finished with two assists, and Gray recorded her first point of the afternoon on Kolnitys' opening goal.
SVSU put 12 of its 27 attempts on target and earned nine corner kicks while limiting Walsh to six shots on goal.
Ava Wilberding (Grand Rapids, Mich., Forest Hills Central HS) started in net and stopped all four shots she faced over 71:42. Freshman Monroe Wilde (Muskegon, Mich., Ravenna HS) made her collegiate debut for the final 18:18 and recorded two saves as the duo combined for the shutout.
Head coach Tyler Channell spoke about the win,
"What a performance and team victory today! Our fast start today allowed us to have a lot of freedom going forward and we were able to notch our first clean sheet. The number of players we have played so far this season is a great showing of the depth we have on our team. Very pleased with our attacking unit with the number of chances we created against a quality Walsh opponent. We look forward to another quality opponent in Findlay come Sunday!"
Up Next: SVSU women's soccer is back for Hometown Day on Sunday, September 6. The Cardinals host the Findlay Oilers at 11 AM at Robert C. Braddock Field.
