SAN DIEGO — Aryssa Mahrt scored in the second minute on Sunday and San Diego women's soccer (2-0, 0-0 WCC) never looked back, beating Army West Point (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) by a 3-1 margin at Torero Stadium after
Delaney Jannone and
Michayla Herr added on with goals of their own in the second half.
"The stuff that we talked about after the Fullerton game got better today," head coach
Louise Lieberman said of her team's performance. "I was pleased with their performance based on what we worked on. That means they're listening, they're coachable, they want to learn, so I'm proud of that part."
Mahrt found the back of the net after only 1:25 of play, shooting the ball into the low left portion of the goal after navigating through several Black Knights defenders to give the Toreros a 1-0 lead early on.
"I love it," Lieberman quipped regarding her team's early strike, which marked the second match in a row they've scored first. "(Aryssa) is so dynamic, she's so good on the ball, she finds great pockets, and she's so good receiving the ball under pressure."
The score would remain 1-0 in favor of the home team until just after the second half began and
Delaney Jannone scored with an assist from Mahrt. Mahrt sent a brilliant pass from the corner to the waiting Jannone in front of the goal, who headed the ball in for the score.
"It was awesome," the head coach said of Jannone's score, which made it a 2-0 game. "We work so much on getting her to score more goals, and she's just really happy to break that seal and hopefully get a few more."
After Army West Point's Trinity Garay scored in the 56th minute, USD was able to answer back, extending their advantage when
Michayla Herr put one in in the 85th minute.
"I'm happy for Michayla," Lieberman added. "It just shows that when you do the work and put in that time, you get to feel the reward. So we were really proud of her work yesterday, and what she was able to accomplish today."
The Toreros' 3-1 victory marks their second in a row to begin the 2021 season. Their homestand continues with an afternoon matchup this Thursday, August 26th against UC Irvine. Kickoff at Torero Stadium versus the Anteaters is set for 3 p.m.
