Neuqua Valley 4, Larkin 2

The Neuqua Valley girls soccer team dominated play during the opening minutes of both halves of Monday's match against Larkin.

The only problem was the Wildcats weren't firing any shots.

Once they started taking shots, they started dominating on the scoreboard as well.

Neuqua scored the first 4 goals and coasted the rest of the way to a 4-2 victory in Upstate Eight Conference action at Memorial Field in Elgin.

"It would have been nice to hit some more shots," Neuqua coach Joe Moreau said. "We've got to be whipping shots."

The Wildcats (12-5, 6-2) grabbed a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the match with their first shot.

An Alex Isdell pass split two Larkin defenders and wound up at the feet of Ashley Marrapode, who dribbled in and fired a low shot to the right corner to beat Royals goalkeeper Anna Goodlove.

Freshman Megan Oyster gave Neuqua a 2-0 lead with 13:18 remaining in the first half as she came free down the right side and scored to the far post.

Marrapode, a senior, found the net again less than four minutes into the second half with an easy tap-in into an empty net.

Oyster netted her second goal of the game with 20 minutes left. She chested down a Shannon Pimmel cross and poked the ball past Goodlove for a 4-0 Neuqua advantage.

"Losing to them 4-2 is certainly not an embarrassment," said Royals coach Ken Hall.

With 12 minutes remaining, the Royals (5-9-3, 2-3-1) were awarded a free kick 19 yards away, just outside the penalty area.

Becky Gabrys' shot was saved by Wildcats goalkeeper Rachel Suther, who was credited with 5 stops.

Holly Capello converted the rebound and scored her first goal of the season to end the shutout.

The Royals' Lyzzette Solano scored off a rebound after a shot by Gina Leach with a minute remaining, Solano's first of the spring.

"We scored 2 goals because we didn't give up and we played hard," Hall said.

"We've got to track back defensively," Moreau said. "We can't let rebound goals in. We've got to stop those runners."