BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – From the opening kick, the LIU Post women's soccer team was in control against Saint Thomas Aquinas College on Wednesday, Oct. 17, downing the Spartans 3-0 to earn three points in the East Coast Conference standings.
 
The three points moves the Green and Gold into sole possession first place at the moment, as the Pioneers have played one more conference game than second-place Mercy College and two more league games than third-place University of Bridgeport who trail the Pioneers by one and two points, respectively.
 
A 7-2 advantage in shots told the story of Wednesday's matchup, as LIU Post recorded six shots on goal to just one by the Spartans. Senior goalkeeper Hillevi Eklow made one save to earn her league-leading seventh shutout of the season. On the offensive end, sophomore Sydney Pasquarella, and juniors Paige Sherlock and Julia Duffy tallied one goal each to lead the Pioneers to the victory.
 
The scoring opened early for the Pioneers as Pasquarella took a freshman Amanda Hjelle over the top of the defense and curled a shot over the Spartan goalkeeper during the 24th minute to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. After returning from halftime with the score still at 1-0, Sherlock buried a free kick attempt inside the far post from 20 yards out for her first career goal to double the Pioneer advantage before Duffy sprinted down the left flank and drilled a shot inside the near post to cap off the scoring during the 74th minute.
 
The Pioneers will look to keep rolling on Saturday, Oct. 20 when they host Daemen College with kickoff scheduled for 12:00 p.m.