Junior Erika Belmont, shown here in Tuesday's game against Centennial, scored three goals against St. Thomas More on Thursday to lead Uni to a 7-0 victory. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

URBANA — Last season, in 160 minutes of action against St. Thomas More, the Illineks scored four goals en route to a win and a tie.

On Thursday, Uni scored five goals in a span of just 10 minutes.

The Illineks overpowered the Sabers over that stretch late in the first half, and it was much more than enough to put away the visitors for the 7-0 nonconference victory.

Uni has now outscored St. Thomas More 13-0 in two games against the Champaign school this season.

The score was still tied almost 30 minutes into the game, when junior Erika Belmont led off the barrage with a goal off an assist from sophomore Emma Coverdill in the 29th minute.

The opportunity started with a well-served ball from junior Isabel Vazquez, who was playing right defender.

1-0 Uni.

Just one minute later, Belmont and Coverdill teamed up again.

2-0 Uni.

Junior Michelle Wong continued the flurry of goals five minutes later with an unassisted goal of her own.

3-0 Uni.

One minute after that, Belmont scored her third goal in eight minutes with a shot from 18 yards out into the left side of the goal that was too much for the goalkeeper to handle.

4-0 Uni.

Two minutes later, Wong got her second goal of the afternoon off an assist from fellow junior Elizabeth Allen.

5-0 Uni.

Going into the second half, the game was already essentially put away, but the Illineks added two more goals for good measure.

Senior Joy Shapley scored her second and third goals of the season — the first in the 65th minute off an assist from junior Elizabeth Russell, and the second in the 75th minute thanks to Wong's third assist of the season.

Uni had opportunities for scoring throughout the contest, outshooting the Sabers 28-3, with 14 shots on goal in each half. Senior Rachel Skoza made all three of Uni's saves.

The Illineks' record now stands at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the East Central Illinois Conference, with both losses having come to Class 2A teams — Champaign Central and Champaign Centennial. In the other three games, the Illineks have outscored their opponents 20-0.

Uni's next game will be against undefeated Class 2A Urbana Tuesday at DCR Complex Fields, Florida and Lincoln avenues, Urbana.

In JV action on Thursday, Uni won a rain-shortened contest against STM 1-0 on a goal by sophomore Heather Lin, with an assist from classmate Cristina Gratton. Goalkeepers Coverdill and Allen combined for the shutout.

The Illineks are 3-0-1 in junior varsity play.

Varsity Season Statistics at a Glance