By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Eastern girls soccer team made a satisfying visit to the pay window on Tuesday night, spinning Middletown over a 4-0 thumping from Alumni Field.
The victory moved Eastern within striking distance of a .500 ledger at 4-6-1 overall while Middletown fell to 4-5-2.
The Lancers outshot the Blue Dragons 25-9 while keeper Grace D’Amato (five saves) earned another shutout.
And after a competitive twenty minutes of play to open the first period, Eastern went on the attack, notching three goals, to ramp up a 3-0 push by the halftime break.
Emily Nelson scored first at the twenty-two-minute mark of the frame when Ciara Collins hooked up her teammate for a goal.
A couple of nifty passes in the midfield eventually found Collins.
With a little space around her, Collins played a great ball wide to Nelson who broke through for a shot and jammed it in as Eastern drew first blood in the match.
Nine minutes later, it was Megan Krok’s turn to score.
Bella Sanchez, a talented sophomore from Eastern, broke through and ripped a shot that was saved by Middletown goalie Tessa Labbadia.
As the keeper was tracking down the ball down, Krok didn’t give up on the play – secured the loose ball and deposited it in the goal as Eastern grabbed a 2-0 push.
And with three minutes remaining before intermission, Nelson was on the passing front this time around.
Nelson was denied her second goal of the game by Labbadia but Stavens was beautifully positioned, took in the rebound and scored as the Lancers surged in front, 3-0.
And midway through the second stanza, Nelson zipped in her second goal of the contest to make it a 4-0 game.
Emilia Perrone won a loose ball and played it back perfectly to Nelson who blasted it home as Eastern’s four-goal lead was never challenged the rest of the way.
“The first twenty minutes of the game were very evenly matched as Middletown came out strong and played very hard,” said Eastern coach Scott Redman. “However, Eastern weathered the storm and improved quality as the game went on. The second half was dominated by Eastern who controlled play and created countless chances.”
The Kingstreeters are back in action on Thursday in a 3:45 p.m. tilt against Plainville from Tinty Field.
Bristol Eastern Girls Soccer
BRISTOL EASTERN 4, MIDDLETOWN 0
from Alumni Field in Bristol
Scoring
22nd minute – Emily Nelson from Ciara Collins.
31st minute – Megan Krok
37th minute – Emma Stavens
65th minute – Emily Nelson from Emilia Perrone
Shots:
Middletown – 9
Bristol Eastern – 25
Saves:
Tessa Labbadia (Middletown), 9
Grace D’Amato (Bristol Eastern), 5
Records: Bristol Eastern 4-6-1 overall; Middletown 4-5-2
