The College of Staten Island women’s soccer squad got off to a great start in the 4th Annual Fall Classic today, scoring a 3-1 win over Sussex County Community College at the CSI Soccer Complex the afternoon. All of the scoring took place in the game’s first half, and it was enough to lift CSI to 2-0 on the season, while the Skylanders fell to 0-1.

The Dolphins were attacking from the get-go, and seemed destined to use their speed to score an early goal.  The teams negotiated space and CSI had their better of possession in the early stages.  With just under 10 minutes gone by in the first frame, a turnover by SCC in the midfield led to Danielle Smith skying the ball up over top of the Skylanders defense and onto the waiting feet of Samantha Wysokowski, who raced in and put a shot that rainbowed over goalkeeper Olivia Bunge, giving CSI the 1-0 lead 9:40 into the first stanza.

The goal did not seem to rattle the visitors, however, as the Skylanders steadied and controlled play for a good stretch.  After possessing the ball a majority of a stretch, SCC was able to convert on an equalizer when a bouncing ball deep in CSI’s end of play hit off of a defender and onto the waiting leg of Hayley Sabyan.  Sabyan side stepped to her right side and laced a bending ball from about 20 yards away that went passed an outstretched Kristy Colangelo, hit the bottom of the crossbar, and fell into the goal for a 1-1 tie at 27:10.

The Dolphins used the goal as motivation to press on and CSI looked like a different team, putting together a series of great runs and through balls.  At 32:56 they struck back, this time when a long lead pass from Kaitlin Russo found a racing Danielle Alexandrini, who muscled in past a defender and put a low ball into the far corner for a 2-1 lead.  With SCC reeling, CSI struck again at 35:12, this time when a Kathryn Dowling lead-in pass through the middle found Alexandrini again, who raced in one-on-one and put a shot past a stretched Bunge to give CSI a 3-1 lead.

That was all CSI needed as they then began to frustrate SCC defensively, not allowing the visitors space in the middle of the field.  In the second half both teams struggled for quality chances, and although CSI scattered 14 shots in the second half, many of them came in the later stages of the game when the game was seemingly in hand.  Bunge made a pair of quality saves from point-blank range against Stephanie Rivera, and another on an off-angle shot late against Senda Karagozler, Colangelo made a sterling save midway through the second period when she sprawled to tip away a long-range shot from Jillian Pullis.

CSI out-shot SCC, 27-6 (14-4 on goal) and enjoyed a 4-2 advantage on corner kicks.  Alexandrini, who scored six goals all of last season, now has four on back-to-back two-goal games.  There were no cautions or ejections issued.

The Dolphins will be back in action tomorrow, when they face The College of Old Westbury at 12 Noon.  Old Westbury is taking on CCNY in their initial game of the Classic today.