Sipole/Pulvirenti lead Griffins to fourth consecutive win

St. Louis, Mo. - Just two minutes into their second game in as many days, Fontbonne fans rose to their feet as sophomore Natalie Sipole (Troy, Ill./Triad) scored her first goal of the year and the only goal of the game.

Kelly Hobbs had sent a beautiful pass up the left side for Lyndsey Godier who tried crossing to the center, only for a Pioneer defender to try and boot the ball out of their defensive zone. Sipole knocked down the ball, bypassed her defender for the shot to the left corner from just outside the top of the box.

The Griffins demonstrated much better team chemistry on the field than the day before, suggesting that their undefeated record should mean something to opposing teams. Junior Paige Pfankuch, the Griffins' defensive leader sat out most of the game after sustaining a leg injury at the very end of yesterday's game. Freshman Maddie Redohl stepped up, showing more confidence and getting the Griffins out of several jams in the backfield. Redohl was responsible for eliminating several dangerous would-be shot attempts.

Fontbonne narrowly missed adding another notch to the scoreboard as Kayla Thorpe crossed the ball to Heather Wiegmann, all alone in front of the goal. Wiegmann and Pioneer goalkeeper Mandy Taylor reached the ball at the same time, with Taylor prevailing and needing to catch her breath after the two collided.

The Pioneers had several near misses during the game, including a dangerous cross with 40 seconds left in the game.

Today's shutout was Tayler Purlvirenti's third in a row.

Fontbonne travels to Illinois College Wednesday for a 6pm matchup.