Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. - The Queens College women’s soccer team opened 2013 with a 1-0, shutout win over Pace in the inaugural game of the 2013.  The Knights faced the Setters in the Mercy College Tournament, and they will close out the competition with a matchup with Post on Sunday.

Just a year ago, QC posted a ten-win season, and like Friday’s result, opened that season with a shutout win.  Friday’s triumph featured a pair of seniors, Rebecca Laporte and Kristina Ikonomou, hooking up on the lone tally.

The Knights got off to a fast start against Pace, as they managed four shots in the opening ten minutes of action.  Sophomore forward, Nicolette Scrozzo, blasted a pair of those shots, forcing Setters’ goalie, Leslie Robertson to save one; while the other one was blocked.  In the eighth minute, it was Ikonomou who forced  Robertson to make another save, and Laporte got her head to a corner kick that just went wide.

Pace would take control at the 18-minute mark, as their offense got together and released a sortie of shots that forced new Knights goalie, Mersina Onesto, to make a save on one, with the other three going wide.  The Knights finally broke the deadlock late in the first half when Ikonomou found Laporte who hit the ball into the back of the net to put QC up, 1-0.

Queens opened the second half similarly to the first, by unleashing four shots that forced Robertson to parry one, with the others off target.  The Setters nearly evened the score in the 63^rd minute as an Alyssa Zeoli hit the crossbar above the leaping Onesto.  Onesto would make two more saves as the Knights held on for the 1-0 win.

Onesto parried three shots to earn the clean sheet.  The backline of Bernadette Wyndham, Bridget Gleason, Itzel Guzman and Alexandra Troiano also contributed to the shutout.

The Knights look to go 2-0 on the year when they face Post Sunday at noon in their final game of the Mercy College Tournament.