COLCHESTER, Vt. - Senior Elani Gikas (Peabody, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) handed out three assists, four players scored their first college goals, and the regionally-ranked Saint Michael's College women's soccer team blanked Vermont State University Johnson, 5-0, on Tuesday at Duffy Field. The Purple Knights are 5-0-3 in their last eight games and stand seventh in this week's United Soccer Coaches East Region poll.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (9-1-4), VTSU Johnson (7-5-1)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Elani Gikas (Peabody, Mass./Bishop Fenwick), 3 assists
• Sophomore Bridget Hanley (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield), 1 goal (1st career)
• Sophomore Mallory Morrill (Pepperell, Mass./North Middlesex Regional), 1 goal (1st career)
• First-year Elisa Damori (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lakeridge), 1 goal (1st career)
• First-year Sarah Gormley (East Moriches, N.Y./Westhampton Beach), 1 goal
• First-year Sam McDonough (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville), 1 goal (1st career)
• Senior Jesse Ferdinand (Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago/High Mowing School), 0 saves in 45 minutes, win
• Senior Emma O'Donnell (Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames), 0 saves in 45 minutes of relief (college debut)

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Isabel Atkisson, 8 saves in 45 minutes, loss
• First-year Sophia Johnson, 11 saves in 45 minutes of relief

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights' eight-game unbeaten run is the third-longest in program history, exceeded only by streaks in 1991 (10) and 1989 (9).
• The Purple and Gold has nine wins for the first time since 2003, standing only one short of a program record.
• Saint Michael's is 5-0-1 at home this season, and 9-1-2 on Duffy Field since last fall.
• The Purple Knights opposed VTSU Johnson for the first time since Oct. 6, 2004, remaining unbeaten at home in 11 all-time meetings in Colchester.
• Saint Michael's liberally used its bench, playing only two regular starters while employing six players who made their first or second start of the season.
• Gormley's fifth goal of the year tied first-year Scarlett Brookes (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) for tops among all Northeast-10 Conference first-years.
• Gikas' three assists were one short of a school record shared by Nicole Cremo '95 (Oct. 19, 1994) and Molly McCarthy '04 (Aug. 31, 2002).

THE ACTION

• Saint Michael's broke through for the winner midway through the second minute. After senior Hannah Conneely (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) was denied by a diving Atkisson, Gikas sent the rebound across the box for Gormley, who finished with her left foot at the left post.
• Hanley doubled the lead in the 10th minute after heading home Gikas' corner kick entry.
• Damori made it 3-0 in the 38th minute thanks to depositing junior Bridget Shaw's (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) pass to the back post over Atkisson and into the far left side.
• Morrill added to the advantage in the 49th minute, taking sophomore Casey Havrda's (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) pass at the edge of the box before cutting back to create space and picking the upper left corner.
• McDonough scored only 5:10 after that, in the 54th minute, heading down another Gikas corner feed.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Saturday at No. 5 Adelphi University, 12 p.m.
• The Panthers' national ranking is according to the United Soccer Coaches.