MacDonald scores only goal as Salve Regina wins third straight

MEDFORD, Mass. - Only 36 seconds after halftime, Seahawks junior Evan MacDonald (Candia, N.H.) scored for Salve Regina University, providing all the offense they needed in their 1-0 victory over the Newbury Nighthawks on Saturday afternoon in non-conference play.

Right after the halftime break, a Nighthawks turnover gave the Seahawks a quickly developing 2-on-1. The forced turnover found junior Donald Igo (Needham, Mass.) at the top of the box.

Igo slid a pass to his left, finding MacDonald, who fired a short side shot from 10 yards out, beating the Nighthawks keeper, Chris Tran (Nantucket, Mass.), and giving the Seahawks a 1-0 lead.

Salve Regina had their fair share of offensive chances, including a pair of back-to-back shots in the 15th minute. Tran made a pair of in-close saves to keep the match at 0-0 in the early going.

Seahawks senior Michael Payan (Fort Lee, N.J.) picks up the win on the afternoon with his clean sheet. Payan made five saves on the day and moves to 3-0 this season. Tran grabs the loss, falling to 0-2 this season, despite his nine saves today.

The Seahawks start 3-0 for the first time since 2012, a season they started at 8-0. The Nighthawks drop to 1-2-1 with the loss.

The Nighthawks have a week off before starting their conference schedule as they welcome Elms College for a match on Sept. 15. Salve returns to action on Monday, hosting Eastern Nazarene at 3:30 p.m.