March 1, 2008
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
ANNAPOLIS, Md.--Freshman midfielder Meg Decker (Catonsville, Md.) scored six goals, while sophomore attack Mary Ruttum (Annapolis, Md.) scored five goals and handed out an assist to lead Navy (2-0) to an easy 21-5 victory over Niagara (0-1) Saturday afternoon at a blustery Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
"I'm excited to be 2-0," said Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. "I thought we were solid today. We were a little sloppy at the beginning, but settled down and did some good things. We have three big games coming up this week so we need to continue to improve."
"I thought we played really good defense today," said Decker, who has now scored a team-high 10 goals in the first two games. "We are playing hard and good things are we are creating good offensive opportunities off our defense. Two is my favorite number, but I certainly don't want to stop at two wins."
Navy actually trailed in the game, 1-0, but that was short-lived as the Mids scored five goals in a little over four minutes. Ruttum got Navy on the board with two-straight unassisted goals and then sophomore midfielder Erin Rawlick (Forest Hill, Md.) scored on a free-position shot to make it 3-1. Decker followed with an unassisted goal and then Ruttum scored her third goal of the game, this one off an assist from senior midfielder Amanda Towey (Smithtown, N.Y.) to make it 5-1.
Niagara would cut Navy's lead to three at 5-2 on a goal by Alison Valerio, but the Mids would end the half by scoring eight-straight goals and took a 13-2 lead into the locker room. Freshmen Caitlin Mandrin Hill (Annapolis, Md.) and sophomore Brittany Amerau (Alexandria, Va.) scored their first-career goals during Navy's run.
Navy dominated play in the second half, scoring eight of the first nine goals. Decker would score three times in the second stanza, while Ruttum scored twice. Towey assisted on three of Navy's eight second half goals.
"I thought we tried to force too many things early in the game, but we settled down and passed the ball better after the first 10 minutes," said Ruttum. "I give a lot of credit to our team captain, Amanda Towey. She is the most unselfish player I know. Our entire team is unselfish, but she is our quarterback and she is always looking to make the extra pass that leads to a score. She puts the ball right where you can catch it and she makes it easy for the rest of us. She is the ultimate team player."
Navy will be back in action on Tuesday when the Mids play host to St. Francis (Pa.) at 4 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Cincinnati (Saturday at noon) and St. Mary's of California (Sunday at noon) will travel to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium next weekend.
Scoring by Period
1 2 F
Niagara 2 3 5
Navy 13 8 21
Niagara Goals: Valerio-3, Schultz-1, Formato-1
Niagara Assists: Formato-1, Schultz-1
Navy Goals: Decker-6, Ruttum-5, Rawlick-4, Nietsch-2, Towey-1, Mandrin Hill-1, Klingenstein-1, Amerau-1
Navy Assists: Towey-4, Mandrin Hill-1, Ruttum-1
Shots
Niagara-8
Navy-39
Ground Balls
Niagara-18
Navy-25
Draw Controls
Niagara-18
Navy-25
Clears
Niagara-7/14
Navy-15/16
Free Position
Niagara-2/4
Navy-3/6
Saves
Niagara-14
Navy-2
Turnovers
Niagara-27
Navy-15
