The La Salle women’s soccer team got off to its best start in its 24-year history with an undefeated start in the first five games (four wins, one tie).

One of the factors behind the Explorers’ success is their goalkeeper. Junior Melissa Sanger stopped 13 shots in their 0-0 draw against Lehigh on Sept. 4. This was a new career best for Sanger, who is the first player since 2005 to record 13 saves in one game. The record was previously set by alumni Lauren Malizia.

Despite La Salle’s (5-3-1) defense early on, it struggled recently, giving up five goals to Penn before losing its second game of the season to Albany.

But those problems were short-lived as the Explorers picked their winning ways back up, dropping a 3-1 decision over Vermont.

Spiders spin JMU

Richmond earned its first victory over a ranked opponent since 2004, when it downed No. 25 James Madison, 3-0, on Aug. 22.        

Forward Natalie LeClair scored her first of two goals in the 26th minute of play.

Goalkeeper Andrea Young contributed to the effort with her defense in net. She tallied five of the Dukes’ 19 shots and prevented them from scoring a goal.

Despite the victory, the Spiders (2-4-1) are still struggling in their non-conference schedule, with their last win coming Sept. 6 against Coastal Carolina in the Longwood Tournament.

Flyers break seating record

Dayton, last year’s Atlantic 10 runner-ups, put on an offensive showcase for a record crowd on Sept. 11 with four goals in its shut-out over Ball State. The Flyers (3-0-3) played in front of 1,584 fans and controlled the game the entire way.

They finished with 29 shots while holding the Cardinals to five.

Dayton also dominated on the corner of the pitch, as it had a total of 10 corner kicks and prevented Ball State from getting more than one opportunity.

The victory, which was followed by a 0-0 draw against Wright, preserved Dayton’s seven-game winning streak.

Four of Dayton’s last seven games have all gone into double overtime, but have yet to win with extended time.  

Herb Scribner can be reached at [email protected].