Seahawks shutout Nor'easters 1-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
U. of New England (6-3, 3-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Salve Regina (6-2, 2-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. - Senior Abigail Tepper (Foxboro, Mass.) tipped in a goal early in the second half for the only score of the afternoon as the Salve Regina University field hockey team shutout the defending Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) champions, the University of New England, for a 1-0 victory at Gaudet Field.
The play started with a corner for Salve Regina that Marissa Gagnon (Smithfield, R.I.) put in play up high for a shot from Lindsey Mazzola (Upton, Mass.). The shot snuck right through the slot back to Gagnon who was alone off to the side of the cage. She fired a shot towards the goal that Tepper redirected to the back of the net for the 1-0 Salve Regina lead 8:01 into the second half.
The Nor'easters upped their pressure as time became a factor later in the half, but the Seahawks backs continually disrupted the UNE forwards, stealing the ball or preventing clean shots from even reaching sophomore goalkeeper Jessie Severino (Branford, Conn.).
In the waning seconds of the game the Nor'easters had one final push. Nicole Matarozzo (Wolfeboro, N.H.) received the ball at in Salve Regina territory and carried it with speed down the left side. With teammates crashing the net Matarozzo tried to get a shot off but Allison Gold (Greenlawn, N.Y.) picked her pocket, stealing the ball away allowing the Seahawks to run the final seconds off the clock and walk away with a win over the top seeded Nor'easters.
Severino earns her third shutout of the season, stopping six shots, while UNE keeper Holly Smith (Peabody, Mass.) totaled seven saves in the loss.
Next up Salve Regina (6-2, 2-1 CCC) will travel to face Nichols in another conference matchup while the University of New England (6-3, 3-1 CCC) will face Colby on September 28 in a non-league game.
