October 23, 2005

ALBANY, NY - Sami Brown scored twice, keying a four-goal second half for Saint Rose, which defeated visiting New Jersey Institute of Technology, 5-0, in non-conference women's soccer Sunday, halting NJIT's six-match unbeaten run.

NJIT, which has set new school records for overall wins in a season (8) and in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (7), came into Sunday's match having won five and tied one in the last six contests. The Highlanders' last defeat had been on September 24, when they lost to Holy Family, 2-0.

Going back farther, NJIT was 8-2-2 since opening the season at 0-2. Along the way, no opposing team had scored more than twice and the Highlanders had seven shutouts.

Heading to Albany, NJIT met a strong Saint Rose team that raised its record to 10-2-4 and tied its school record in posting its ninth shutout. Six of the whitewashes have come in the last seven games.

After a half, Saint Rose led, 1-0, thanks to Kailey Egbert's unassisted goal from 25 yards out barely four minutes into the game.

Given the two teams' strong defensive records, the 1-0 halftime score was no surprise. However, Saint Rose took control quickly in the second half, thanks to the team-leading eighth and ninth goals of the year for the freshman, Brown, who struck in the 48^th minute and again in the 53^rd minute.

The home team then padded its 3-0 lead with a pair of late goals that came within a minute of each other. Meghan Hanley and April Spanicciati each came up with their first tallies of the season in the 72^nd and 73^rd minutes, respectively.

The first four Saint Rose goals came from at least 15 yards out, while Spanicciati, who also recorded an assist in the game, touched the fifth goal in from the doorstep.

Bruna Lotufo made seven saves for the Highlanders, while Lauren Steinberg made one save in recording the shutout for Saint Rose.

NJIT returns to CACC play, where it is 7-1-2, for the regular season finale on Wednesday, when it visits Philadelphia University for a 3 pm game.