BENNINGTON, Vt. — Ending its four-game winning streak, Southern Vermont College fell 2-1 to Becker College Tuesday afternoon at Everett Field in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's soccer showdown.
The Hawks improve to 7-6-2 on the season and 3-1-2 in the conference while SVC drops to 6-8 overall, 4-2 in NECC play.
The middle third of the field saw a majority of the opening 10 minutes with the only shot being a Becker bomb that was soared over the net from about 30 yards away. The first corner kick of the game would prove fruitful as the Mountaineers made it count.
The corner was sent into the middle of the box by SVC freshman Victoria Huff (Schuylerville, New York) where players from both sides waved and ticked it, none being able to fully connect. Finally, sophomore Lauren Nesshoever (Rutland, Vermont) found herself in front of the back post unmarked with the ball trickling her way; Nesshoever ran on and slammed it home for her tenth of the season to put her team ahead 1-0 at the 9:12 mark.
Southern Vermont attempted to play directly through the Hawk defense during most of its trips up the field in the opening stanza, but Becker's back line held strong to stifle the Mountaineer attacks. Becker owned a possession advantage and took its open shots when available, although none truly testing SVC freshman keeper Melissa Mascari (Saratoga Springs, New York).
In the 26th minute, Becker would find an equalizer after taking advantage of its own first corner kick. BC senior Alyssa Bond (Thompson, Connecticut) sent the ball from the flag right into the box where it skipped off the wet grass through the cluster of players. Coming out the other side, the ball found the feet of senior Katherine Cormier (San Diego, California) who turned and punched home her fourth goal of the year to make it 1-1.
The score wouldn't stay tied long, however, as BC was able to tack on another just under three minutes later. After the Hawks worked the ball deep into SVC territory, the Mountaineers found it on their feet with a chance to clear. It didn't get out of danger and went to Becker sophomore Lauren Zaleski (Avon, Massachusetts) at the top right side of the penalty area where she took a touch and ripped a shot low at the left-hand corner of the goal frame. The ball appeared to be playable by a Southern Vermont defender, but she elected to let it roll to Mascari for the pickup; the communication wasn't complete, and the ball continued into the left side netting for the Hawks to take a 2-1 lead on Zaleski's fourth of the season.
Becker had chances in the second half to pad its lead, but Mascari came through with a handful of close-range saves in conjunction with tough Mountaineer defense to keep the Hawks out of the net the rest of the way. That was no problem for the visitors, however, as the Becker backline continued to minimize the quality of Southern Vermont's offensive surges, especially late in the game when the Mountaineers tried to push forward for the tying goal.
The Hawks did a good job on the day keeping its back line together and in sync, pulling up to draw SVC offsides three times in the first half and then another two in the second.
BC senior goalie Kaitlyn Rose (North Attleboro, Massachusetts) picked up the win, moving to 6-2-1 on the year with five saves on the day. Mascari stopped 14 Becker shots in the loss (6-8).
Both teams are next on the road for Saturday league matches, Southern Vermont visiting Elms College (1 p.m.) while the Hawks travel to Regis College (12 p.m.).