UTICA, N.Y. — Gracelyn Williams and Hope Russell scored second-half goals as the Houghton women's soccer team blanked SUNY Poly 2-0 in an Empire 8 road match at Wildcat Field on Saturday.
With the shutout victory, Houghton improved to 9-5-1 overall and 6-2-1 in conference play, while SUNY Poly moved to 3-10-2 and 0-8-1.
After a scoreless opening half where the Highlanders outshot the Wildcats 7-2, Houghton broke through quickly after the intermission. Williams opened the scoring in the 48th minute off an assist from Grace Russell.
Russell extended the lead to 2-0 in the 53rd minute, finding the back of the net with a helper credited to Williams. Houghton dominated the offensive attack throughout the afternoon, finishing with a 26-4 advantage in total shots and a 10-3 edge in shots on goal.
Houghton goalkeeper Olivia Short played all 90 minutes and stopped 3 shots to earn the clean sheet. SUNY Poly goalkeeper Skylar Blackwell recorded 10 saves in the loss.
The Highlanders return home for their next contest, hosting Geneseo in a key Empire 8 battle on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
