NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Sophomore Mamadi Jiana (Chicopee, Mass.) erupted for four goals as Norwich blanked Lasell, 6-0, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Sabine Field. The Cadets secure their third straight conference win in the process, continuing a dominant run that has seen Norwich outscore opponents, 13-1.
Jiana secured Norwich's first four-goal game since senior Joseph Thongsythavong (Salem, Mass.) accomplished the task against Regis (Mass.) on Oct. 2, 2021, finishing out the game with a goal on each of his four shots on target. The stellar Saturday outing punctuates a strong week for Jiana, who scored a goal and assist against Emmanuel on Wednesday.
Junior Jami Lashua (Williston, Vt.) and sophomore Cullen Swett (Williston, Vt.) tacked on goals of their own as sophomore Kam Jorgenson (Titusville, Fla.), senior Matteo Iagrossi (Schenectady, N.Y.) and senior Amerle Nemeye (Burlington, Vt.) each recorded assists. Senior goalkeeper Robert Wagenseller (Poway, Calif.) notched his third clean sheet of the season with five saves on the afternoon.
Jiana's first goal of the contest developed quickly as the sophomore won a 50-50 ball just past midfield, finding opening running room to the far side of the goal before slotting a low-laying shot that landed inside the lower left corner of the goal in the 10th minute. The sophomore's second goal came three minutes later, as Jiana intercepted a clearing attempt and knocked the ball into the empty net to spot Norwich a 2-0 lead.
In the 32nd minute, Lasell was called for a hand ball inside the box, leading to a penalty kick attempt that Jiana ripped past the Lasers' goalkeeper into the left side of the net to complete the hat trick and send Norwich into the break with a 3-0 lead. Jiana's four-goal game was completed off of a feed by Iagrossi, who made a great run at the goal that drew the Lasell goalkeeper out to challenge. A heads up pass from Iagrossi to Jiana led to a tap from the sophomore into the empty net for the four-goal advantage.
Swett notched his goal in the 56th minute, a result of a quick-developing play off of a corner kick. Nemeye took a corner kick that landed in the middle of the box. The kick was recovered by Jorgenson, who deflected the ball back to the waiting foot of Swett for a close-range shot that snuck under the goalkeeper's dive for his third goal of the season. Norwich's final goal of the game was scored by Lashua in the 73rd minute, as the junior collected a pass in stride and fired a shot to the near side post to put the finishing touches on a stellar performance by the Cadets.
The Cadets finished the game out-shooting Lasell, 18-7, and placed 14 of their 18 shots on target. The Norwich defense held firm throughout the game, as Lasell did not earn a corner kick attempt during the contest.
Norwich will aim to capture its fourth straight GNAC win on Wednesday, Sept. 28 against Dean College. The Cadets will return to Sabine Field on Friday, Sept. 30 against Rivier.
