Mariah Ruckdeschel picked up her third shutout of the season, and five different USCB Sand Sharks scored Thursday in a 5-0 victory over Thomas at Fin Land Field.
The offense got rolling right away, as Synne Bye-Andersen and Mari Kalvatn put a pair of shots on net in the first five minutes. After a Kalvatn corner in the sixth, Bye-Andersen dumped off a pass to Henriette Harr-Haga who beat Emily Lamoreaux for a 1-0 lead. With just 14 seconds remaining in the opening half, the Sand Sharks added another. A Thomas clearing attempt was blocked by Anniken Broderson, and the sophomore deflected the ball into the net to give USCB a 2-0 halftime edge.
The Sand Sharks’ leading goal scorer kicked off a busy second half, as Kalvatn finished off a sterling Bye-Andersen feed just inside the far post for her 16th goal of the season. Madison Foshee added a tally on a dazzling strike in the 66th minute, drilling a shot outside the 18-yard box on an Aurya Downey assist.
USCB continued to create quality shots on net and tacked on another goal in the 88th minute. After Damaris Gaines brought the ball into the Night Hawk zone, the freshman delivered a perfect cross towards Dina Stalnacke, who tipped the ball into the left netting.
Ruckdeschel was outstanding in net, stopping all four shots she faced to earn her second consecutive clean sheet.
USCB (10-5-1, 4-2-1) travels to Lakeland on Saturday for a pivotal clash with No. 9 Southeastern. The Sand Sharks are currently tied for second in The Sun Conference standings with SCAD, one point ahead of the Fire, who have played one fewer game than USCB.
By Wes Kerr
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