DARTMOUTH, Mass. – First year forward
Kiariana Williams powered the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's soccer team over Framingham State University by a final score of 3-0 on the road. Williams notched a career-high two goals as well as two assists in the non-conference win against the Rams to move to a 4-5-3 overall record while the Rams dropped to 4-6-2 on the season.
Senior midfielder
Ashlyn Aguiar fired the opening strike of the contest for UMass Dartmouth to force an early stop by Rams goalkeeper Savannah Goba. At he 12:08 mark, Aguiar split the Rams back line to find the feet of Williams. The rookie forward cut past her defender and onto her right foot to hit a low strike under Goba and into the back of the net to make it a 1-0 game. Corsairs goalkeeper
Marina Cassano made her first save of the night to deny a shot by Leiyani Buckner approaching the midway point of the half. The final 15 minutes saw the Rams offense post four unanswered strikes, but Cassano recorded a pair of stops to keep UMass Dartmouth ahead 1-0 at halftime.
The Corsairs doubled their advantage to kickoff the second half thanks to a score by junior forward
Madison Depina. After Willaims drilled a shot on target that Goba saved, Depina was in position to collect the rebound and tap the ball into the net for her first score of the season. In the 71
st minute, Williams cashed in her second goal of the night to pull away with a 3-0 lead. Depina lofted a pass over Framingham State's defense to Willaims sprinting down the field before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom right corner. Cassano produced three late saves in the closing minutes of the contest enroute to the first shutout victory of the season by a final score of 3-0 against Framingham State.
Despite the score, Framingham State outshot UMass Dartmouth by a 13-8 margin while both teams recorded seven strikes on-goal. The Rams earned four corner kicks in the contest and committed four fouls compared to the Corsairs with 11 fouls called.
Williams finished the night by recording career-highs with two goals and two assists for six total points while also leading the squad with 4-of-5 strikes on target. Depina notched her first goal of the season to go along with an assist for three points. Aguiar tallied her second assist of the year in the road win over the Rams and recorded one shot on frame.
Cassano secured her third win in net for UMass Dartmouth and first career shutout following her seven save performance. Goba ended the game with four stops and allowed three goals in net for the Rams.
UMass Dartmouth returns to Little East Conference (LEC) play on Saturday, October 11 hosting Eastern Connecticut State University for their Senior Day game. The Corsairs will honor three graduating student-athletes prior to the 3:00 p.m. kickoff.
