WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross women's soccer team took on Chicago State in a non-conference matchup at home for their Pink game on Tuesday, Oct. 17. 

Freshman forward Caroline Marcus gave the Crusaders an early lead scoring her first collegiate goal on a perfect through ball sent in by freshman midfielder Jenelle Murphy at 3:05. Holy Cross had multiple great chances to further their lead but finished out the half with a 1-0 lead.

The Crusaders continued on the attack with strong possession the majority of the competition. In the second half Holy Cross notched two more goals, both scored by defenders and both within eight minutes of one another. The first goal was by junior Alyssa Pettet for her first career goal on a free kick. Freshman midfielder Adi Botet took a shot outside the box that resulted was blocked and rebounded right to Pettet who knocked it in for the 2-0 lead. Just a few minutes later sophomore midfielder Riley Grable served a beautiful cross into the box off a corner and freshman Mary Sommer directed it into the back of the net for the 3-0 result. The Crusaders took home the first of Holy Cross's men's and women's soccer Pink Game doubleheader in spectacular fashion.

"Well, I'm obviously delighted with the results. But what I'm most delighted by is the fact that we've played an awful lot of freshmen out there today and they've done exactly the things that we ask our group to do. They worked hard, they competed, they defended tremendously well," said head coach Ben Graham. "We kept another clean sheet. I'm really pleased with that. And now we all look forward to welcoming Navy here on Friday."

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross took an early lead with Marcus scoring at 3:05 in the first half
• In the second half the Crusaders extended their lead with Pettet netting a goal at and Sommer scoring at for the 3-0 result.
• Holy Cross out-shot Chicago State 26-6 in the match with 17 of the 26 shots attempted in the first half of the game
• The Crusaders led 8-2 in corners on the night

INSIDE THE BOX:

• Marcus, Pettet and Sommer each scored their first career goals in the game
• Olivia Dubin recorded one save on the day

PLAYER QUOTES:

• "I thought it was a really good team win. We all worked hard and competed for the full 90, and it was really great to have an early lead. I was just really happy I got to contribute to the win." #20 Caroline Marcus
• "I'm really happy that we all showed up tonight as a team. It was a great team effort, great team win, and we all worked hard. We competed throughout the whole 90 minutes and we didn't let down at any point. And I'm obviously very excited to score my first career goal. It's definitely a night for us to remember." #5 Alyssa Pettet
• "Overall, I think it was a really good team win. I think we all worked hard and competed for the full 90. It's exciting to get my first collegiate goal and be able to celebrate it with my best friends." #15 Mary Sommer

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders return to action on Friday, Oct. 20 to take on Navy in a conference match at 5:00 p.m at Linda Johnson Smith Stadium.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross women's soccer team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossWSoccer | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrosswsoccer | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Women's Soccer | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross