“It was a good team win and several people were able to make contributions," said head coach Julie Woodward. "I was really proud of each one of them and a few people entered off the bench and were able to provide a spark, including Jennifer and Sunshine with their first career goals."
Stephanie Verdoia (Salt Lake City), off a rebound by Kiana Kraft (Kent, Wash.) in the seventh minute and Natasha Howe (Mission Viejo, Calif.), assisted by Verdoia, less than a minute later gave SU the early 2-0 lead just eight minutes into the contest.
In the 29th minute, Taylor Ritzman (Holladay, Utah) earned a pair of points with a goal from about 10 yards out, again assisted by Verdoia to give Seattle U the 3-0 lead midway through the first half.
Sunshine Soriano (Henderson, Nev.) would score her first career goal in the 33rd minute, assisted by Verdoia, on a shot from just about eight yards from the goal as the Redhawks took a 4-0 lead into halftime.
Verdoia would tie her career high seven points in the 63rd minute on a penalty kick to put Seattle U ahead, 5-0 midway through the second half.
In the 80th minute, Jennifer Plummer (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) would score her first career goal from 20 yards out on an assist by Verdoia to give the Redhawks a 6-0 lead.
Avoiding the shutout, New Mexico State’s Layla Todd passed the ball to Jennae Cambra as she shot it over the SU keeper’s head in the 88th minute, as the Aggies trailed 6-1, the final score.
With two goals, four assists, and a game-high 10 shots, Verdoia set a new single game career high with eight points after recently setting a new high with seven on Oct. 5 at Bakersfield. Overall, the Redhawks outshot the Aggies, 14-7.
In goal, Brianna Smallidge (Port Orchard, Wash.) played nearly 67 minutes, making five saves while Aris Coover (Bellevue, Wash.) made one save in nearly 24 minutes of play. Taylor Rice made eight saves in the complete game loss for New Mexico State.
The Redhawks continue their weekend roadtrip at UTPA on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 11 a.m. PT. Live links for the match, broadcast on the Digital Network, are on the women’s soccer schedule page at GoSeattleU.com.