Written by Joe Dodson
VCU women’s soccer beat Old Dominion University 4-0 to earn the Ram’s second consecutive victory to begin the season.
Despite the downpour of rain and near-freezing temperature, VCU came out hot against the Monarchs. Junior midfielder Aileen Guthrie got her first collegiate goal in the fifth minute to start the scoring for the Rams. Guthrie received the ball outside of the goal box from senior midfielder Emma Kershner and quickly broke down two defenders with some sharp dribbling before shooting it past the Monarch goalkeeper.
The early goal set the tone for the match as VCU spent the majority of the first half in ODU’s half of the field. VCU had five shots on goal in the first half while holding the Monarchs to zero chances.
The second half was highlighted by redshirt-junior midfielder Samanatha Jerabek’s first collegiate hat trick. The goals came early and often as Jerabek netted all three within the first 20 minutes of the second half.
Jerabek’s first goal was a solo effort as she dribbled the ball down the left side before quickly cutting right and curling the ball by the keeper from around 10 yards out. The most notable of the three high-quality goals was Jerabek’s second which came via a direct kick around 22 yards from goal. Jerabek blasted the ball straight to the top post where the ball eventually found its way into the goal after hitting off of ODU keeper Kasey Perry’s back.
The final goal of the game was again the result of Jerabek’s quick pace on the left side. The assist was credited to Kershner and sophomore midfielder Anna Bagley. Jerabek now has four goals and an assist through her first two matches of the season.
While Jerabek and Guthrie got it done on the offensive end of the field, VCU’s defense earned their second clean sheet in as many games. Old Dominion was held to three shots on goal which were all saved by junior goalkeeper Brecht Haakma. Haakma earned her third collegiate clean sheet after an impressive shift between the sticks.
VCU will play at home against East Carolina University on Feb.20 at 2 p.m.
