BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Monica Yanez (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) scored both goals for the University of New Haven women’s soccer team in a 2-1 Northeast-10 win over Saint Michael’s on Saturday afternoon on Kayo Field. Ali Espanol (Branford, Conn./Branford) and Danielle Iacono (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun / Nassau C.C.) assisted on the two Charger scores.
 
After its second-straight win, New Haven improves to 9-4-1 overall and 6-4-1 in the Northeast-10. With four regular-season contests remaining, the Chargers’ have matched their 2011 win total. The Purple Knights fall to 2-9-2 with a 2-7-2 conference tally.
 
Yanez’s first marker came in the 34th minute. A strong throw-in from Español set the junior up just a few yards from the goal. Yanez fired the ball past Purple Knights’ keeper Aubrey Ouellet to put the Chargers on top, 1-0.
 
New Haven took the one-goal lead into the intermission and added to it in the first minute of the second half, once again with a back feeding Yanez for the goal. This time it was Iacono whose long clear of a Saint Michael’s entry pass hit Yanez in stride. The Chargers’ leading goal-scorer took one touch inside the 18-yard box and buried the ball in the back of the net to extend the New Haven cushion to 2-0.
 
The Purple Knights would disrupt the shutout with a goal by Kate Garaffa in the 80th minute, but the New Haven back row went on lockdown at that point to preserve the 2-1 victory.
 
Yanez has now tallied nine goals on the season, the most by a Charger since Alexa DellaRocco netted 13 markers in the 2009 campaign. Yanez runs her career totals to 14 goals and 35 points.
 
The assist was Español’s second of the week and of the 2012 season. The graduate student has now contributed seven helpers in her four seasons in Blue and Gold. Iacono’s assist was her second of 2012 and of her three-year career.
 
Natasha Purchla (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) made five saves for the Chargers. Ouellet stopped two shots in the losing effort for Saint Michael’s.
 
Each team attempted 15 shots in total, with the Purple Knights attempted six on goal to New Haven’s four. The Chargers held an 8-4 advantage in corner-kick opportunities.
 
New Haven hits the road this week for a pair of NE-10 contests. The Chargers will travel to Pace on Tuesday, Oct. 16 and head to Massachusetts Lowell on Saturday, Oct. 20. New Haven wraps up the regular season with matches on Kayo Field against defending national champion Saint Rose (Oct. 24, 4 p.m.) and Southern New Hampshire (Oct. 27, 7 p.m.).