Sophomore forward Christina Akalski (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) scored a pair of goals in the opening 27 minutes to lead The University of Scranton women’s soccer team to a 5-0 victory over Drew University in a Landmark Conference match at Fitzpatrick Field on Wednesday evening.

The victory secures no worse than the third seed in the upcoming Landmark Conference playoffs for the Royals (9-6-2, 4-1-1 Landmark). The Royals have 13 points, two behind second-place Elizabethtown, which will visit Fitzpatrick Field for the regular season finale on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

A Scranton victory in that match would boost the Royals past the Blue Jays, meaning the Landmark Conference semifinal between the two schools would be played at Fitzpatrick Field on Wednesday, Nov. 5. A tie or an Elizabethtown victory would keep the Blue Jays in second and give them the second seed and the right to host that semifinal.

In the win over Drew, the Royals also received goals from junior defender Erin Casey (Hatfield, Pa./Gwynedd-Mercy Academy), senior midfielder Ellen Walker (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) and junior forward Erin Allen (Syosset, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy Academy). But it was Akalski’s early play that got things started.

She put the Royals ahead in the fourth minute when she picked up a loose ball off a free kick and slipped a shot into the bottom right corner. In the 27th minute, she scored from distance when junior forward Sarah Andrews (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) found her at the top of the box, and Akalski rifled a shot from 22 yards out into the left side of the goal.

Casey made it a 3-0 lead in the 35th minute on a similar shot from 18 yards out after taking a pass from junior forward Michaela Arbus (Pequannock, N.J./DePaul Catholic).

Walker scored a little more than 13 minutes into the second half when her free kick from 22 yards out deflected off a defender and in. Allen finished the scoring in the 69th minute when she raced to the far post to volley home a beautiful cross-field pass from senior forward Katie O’Hanlon (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy).

Akalski is now tied for the team lead with four goals and second with nine points. Allen’s goal was her third of the season while Walker and Casey each recorded their second. Andrews and Arbus both picked up their second assists of the year while O’Hanlon’s was her first.

Scranton held a 13-2 advantage in shots over Drew (5-11, 2-4 Landmark) and a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

The Royals are back in action when they host Elizabethtown in that key Landmark Conference match on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Fitzpatrick Field. Prior to kick-off, Scranton will honor its seniors with a short Senior Day ceremony.

--ROYALS--