Box Score NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior Ana Tantum (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) netted a hat trick to lead the Bentley women's soccer team to a 5-0 season-opening victory over Dominican at the Kickoff Classic on Friday afternoon.
Tantum struck twice in the first half and once in the second, sophomore Alyssa Valente (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) also had a big game with one goal and one assist, while sophomore Lauren Bean (Newburyport, Mass./Newburyport) had the team's 5th goal.
Bentley got started early, taking a 1-0 lead in the 8th minute on a goal by Tantum. Last season's leading goal scorer didn't take long to get on the board this season, as she fired in a shot from 20 yards after taking a pass from Valente off a throw-in, took a few dribbles and blasted a shot into the left corner.
The Falcons doubled their lead in the 21st minute as Valente scored. Senior Jenny Lewis (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill) got the goal started by winning the ball in the defensive half. Lewis then threaded a long through ball through the Caldwell defense to Valente, who had gotten behind the last defender. Valente then had a clean breakaway and tucked her shot around the charging goalkeeper to put the Falcons up 2-0.
Tantum added her 2nd goal of the half in the 32nd minute to give Bentley a 3-0 lead. Freshman Victoria Montemorano (Victor, N.Y./Victor) set the goal up with a nifty back heel pass to Tantum at the top of the penalty area, and Tantum did the rest with a shot from 18 yards out.
In the 2nd half, Tantum tacked on her 3rd goal of the afternoon to finish her hat trick, scoring in the 53rd minute, with the assist by Jamie Grinavic (North Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro). Bean then found the back of the net in the 59th minute, with both Tantum and Valente getting the assists.
The Falcons held their opponents to zero shots on goal in winning their season opener. They will look to make it a 2-0 start on Sunday when they take on Molloy at 3:00 pm to conclude the Kickoff Classic.
