Montgomery College Women's Soccer Kicks-Off Season with a Victory

The Montgomery College women's soccer team kicked off the 2023-2024 season on Thursday, August 24th, in a regional match hosted by Potomac State College in Keyser, WV. The Raptors controlled the first 20 minutes of the game, but the Catamounts were able to capitalize in the 23rd minute when Morgan Pyle created a turnover and finished the shot to take a 1-0 lead. After the hydration break, Montgomery College rattled off eight shots in the first half, with the Potomac State keeper making two point-blank saves quickly to keep the Raptors off the board.  

In the second half, the Raptors came out strong again and immediately pressured the backline and PSC goalkeeper. The first goal of the season came off a Sabrina Di Marzio corner kick in which Natalie Zambrano got her head on to find the back of the net in the 60th minute. It took three more minutes for Ayla Khorsand to send a cross into the box for Berenice Bahloul-Machado to finish and give the Raptors their first lead. Khorsand scored a much-needed insurance goal in the 89th minute to extend the lead to 3-1. PSC immediately answered off the kick-off and scored to make the final score 3-2. 

The Raptors outshot Potomac State 18-5 on the day. Natalie Fleitas and Ruby Lancaster split time in the goal for Montgomery College and made two saves. The Raptors will travel to Salisbury University for their last exhibition match on Tuesday, August 29th, at 5 p.m. The Raptors will be at home on Friday, September 1st, at 4:30 against Monroe College and Saturday, September 2nd, at 1:00 p.m. against Mercer County Community College.