UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Long Island Rough Riders scored three goals from long distance in the first half, igniting the team to a 3-0 victory over New Jersey Copa FC in a USL W League match at Mitchel Athletic Complex on Wednesday night.
Gianna Paul, Olivia Pearse and Fiona Kilian did the damage for the Rough Riders (5-3-0, 15 points), while Copa FC (7) fell to 2-5-1.
Long Island goalkeeper Natalie Medugno was rarely tested as she recorded the shutout.
The Rough Riders were relentless in the first half, rarely allowing Copa FC to move past the center line and kept the ball for long stretches of time.
Three minutes into the match, Copa FC goalkeeper Mojisola Ayodele denied Paul from close range, but the Long Island striker would solve her opponent several minutes later.
Paul got the hosts started in the 11th minute as she looped a 28-yard shot over the head of Ayodele and into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Long Island continued to strike from distance as Pearse drilled a 30-yard shot with her right foot home for a 2-0 margin in the 16th minute.
Kilian got into the act in the 41st minute as she connected her second goal of the season, depositing a 30-yard shot into the net, close to the same spot from which Pearse tallied.
At halftime, Ayodele was replaced by Maggie Ousouljoglou in the net.
The Rough Riders continued their possession dominance in the final half. In fact, they continued to shoot from a distance, but were off target most of the time, until Ousouljoglou produced a two-handed shot on a drive in the 74th minute.
In the first game of the doubleheader, the Rough Riders men blanked their NJ Copa FC counterparts, 4-0.
After playing at Cedar Stars Academy on Wednesday, June 25, the Rough Riders women will host Manhattan SC in their final regular season game at Mitchel on Sunday, June 29 at 3:30 p.m.
Keep visiting www.LIRoughRiders.com for the latest news on both teams and the club.