MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - St. Thomas (8-5, 5-2 TSC) was simply invincible on Senior Day, overwhelming the visiting Warriors of Webber International (3-8, 3-4 TSC) by the score of 4-2. Today's goal scorers included
Sharon Tejeda, twice,
Michelle Bailey, and
Taylor Malone. Bailey's goal had special implications as it came in what is possibly the last home game of her collegiate career.
The Bobcats celebrated Senior Day just prior to kick-off. Seniors
Sarrah Granda (Defender, Miami, Fla.) and Bailey (Forward, Buckinghamshire, England) were each singled out for their contributions to the St. Thomas women's soccer program.
A pivotal piece to the Bobcat backline and a captain of the squad, Granda has proved to be quite the versatile talent for St. Thomas. Despite her role as a defender, she has a penchant for going forward, further proved by her career four goals. Having missed all of the 2014 season with a knee injury, she has returned this year to bolster a defensive line that lost
Ashley Taylor to graduation.
A transfer, Bailey has been a scoring machine since stepping foot on campus in 2014. She led all Bobcats last year with 7 goals and is currently on pace to surpass those numbers this season.
Webber found itself under siege by the Bobcat blitz from the opening whistle. Tejeda captured her seventh goal of the year in the fifth minute when
Jannel Johnson found her outside of the box for the strike. Her eighth goal of the year would come in the 13th minute, when she capitalized on a penalty kick awarded to the Bobcats.
In the 24th minute, Bailey delivered home a beautifully crossed ball from Tejeda. It marked Bailey's fifth goal of the year.
The Warriors were gifted a point in the 44th minute when a Bobcat defender accidentally hit the ball into their own goal.
The second half would feature more Bobcats getting involved. Malone, who was inserted late in the first half, moved up to midfield and began to press the Webber defense. She found herself in the right position when Tejeda put the ball in front of an empty net for an easy touch. It was the second straight game in which Malone scored, and her second goal of the year.
Webber added another goal in the 58th minute when Cierra Abundez slipped the ball past the mitts of Garwacki. It was the 15th goal of the season for one of the conference's prolific scorers.
The Bobcats return to the pitch on Wednesday for a conference matchup against Keiser. The Seahawks are 6-1 in Sun Conference play. Kick-off is set for 1 P.M. E.T. at Keiser's Arrigo-Vecellio Field.
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