Three goals in the first fifty-plus minutes of play doomed the West Virginia Illusion Sunday as they fell to the Tampa Bay Hellenic, 3-0, at Duvall-Rosier Field in Fairmont.
The Hellenic opened scoring in the 12th minute when Stacy Bishop bent a free kick over the head of Illusion goalkeeper Megan Jessee from eight yards out from the left side.
They extended their lead when Rhonda Jones buried a through ball in the 24th minute.
The Illusion almost got one back around the half-hour mark when Ashley Rees played Megan Mischler in for a one-on-one breakaway down the left side. Mischler’s low effort beat Hellenic goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi but went inches wide of the far post.
The Hellenic scored again in the 51st minute on a strike by halftime substitute Marika Fukuta to extend their cushion to three goals.
West Virginia got a look at goal in the waning stages when Greer Barnes played a nice pass to the feet of Michelle Molinari, but her shot went right to substitute goalkeeper Katy Fraine.
The Illusion continue their five-game homestand next Saturday when they host first-place Atlanta at 7:30 p.m.
TB—Bishop 12th minute
TB—Jones (Hudson) 24th
TB—Fukuta 51st
Illusion Lineup: Megan Jessee, Christen Seaman, Kelsey Fowler, Greer Barnes, Bailey Bryant (Marisa Kanela 43), Shayna Varner (Brittany Clark 85), Kendra Graber, Ashley Rees (Megan Cecchini 82), Kaitlin Parsons, Michelle Molinari, Megan Mischler
Hellenic Lineup: Mallori Lofton-Malachi (Katy Fraine 45), Jenna Ball, Lindsay Brauer, Shana Hudson, Staci Wilson, Rhonda Jones, Stacy Bishop (Jasmine Johnson 68), Laura Baeza (Marika Fukuta 45), Alicia Tirelli (Annalea Crowe 83), Morgan Church, Leah O’Grady (Jeanette Dyer 77)
