Sept. 19, 2004
Columbia women's soccer won its fifth straight match and the Governor's Cup with a 2-0 victory over Siena in Albany. Tournament Offensive MVP Shannon Munoz (C-Coto De Caza, Calif.) scored in the 26th minute and Lucie Kroening (C-Oakland, Calif.) doubled the lead in the 41st to give the Lions the title. First-year keeper Allison Vespa (C-Franklin Lakes, N.J.) made three saves to record to the shutout. The Lions (5-2-0) have not yielded a goal in 455 minutes of play, in part due to the fine play of Tournament Defensive MVP first-year Cathleen Cimino (C-Satellite, Fla.).
Shannon Munoz put the Lions in front when she took a fine pass from Emma Judkins (C-Houston, Texas) and slid a shot past the Siena keeper for her third goal of the season. Judkins, who scored a goal during Friday's victory over the hosts Albany, recorded her first assist of the year on the play. Columbia added its second goal just five minutes before halftime as Lucie Kroening scored her second goal of the season off a pass from junior Courtney Nasshorn (C-Newtown, Pa.).
After the second goal the Lions stifled the Saints attack, allowing just one shot on goal in the second half. Vespa, who has two shutouts on the season, stopped all three shots she faced in the match. Columbia allowed Siena only four shots and two corner kicks, evidence of the defense's strong performance.
With the victory the Lions clinched the Governor's Cup in their debut in the tournament. It was the second straight honor for the Light Blue as they tied for the title at the St. John's Tournament last weekend. A host of Lions were honored as Nasshorn, Eva Gudbjornsdottir (E-Kopavogur, Iceland), Meghan Hurlbut (C-McLean, Va.), and Rachel Biondolillo (C-Weston, Ma.) were all named to the All-Tournament along with the two MVPs. The award was the second straight recognition for the influential Cimino who was also named to the all-tournament team at St. John's.
This five game streak qualifies for the third longest winning streak in Columbia women's soccer history tying with a similar run from 9/23 to 10/8 of 1997. In 1998, the Lions won seven straight matches on their way to a 12 win season. The five consecutive shutouts is the best defensive run of all-time for the Columbia, topping a previous mark of four straight shutouts during that 1998 season. With a team Goals Against Average of under .450, the Lions will likely qualify as one of the top 15 defenses in the nation this week.
The Lions make their home and Ivy debuts on Saturday when they host Cornell at Baker Field at 11 a.m.
