WESTON, Mass. — In the final regular season game for both teams, Southern Vermont College lost 1-0 at Regis College Saturday afternoon at Regis Stadium in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's soccer action.
The victory propels the Pride to 10-5-2 overall and 7-2 in the NECC, matching their win total from last season while also earning their most conference victories in three years. Regis ends the season on a four-game winning streak in which it has outscored its opponents 7-0. With the loss, the Mountaineers end the regular season campaign with a 7-10 mark and 5-4 record against the league.
The Mountaineers started off the contest with a shot on net one minute into the game. Senior Lixsa Arlet Sandoval (Stockton, California) attempted a shot that was denied by RC junior goalie Rachel Gagnon (Ashford, Connecticut). The Pride then rebutted the Mountaineer attempt with four straight shots of their own. Senior Jasmine Vivar (Attleboro, Massachusetts), freshman midfielder Olivia Hamill (Sudbury, Massachusetts), senior Adena Joseph (Stoughton, Massachusetts), and senior Shannon Simonelli (Providence, Rhode Island) all had scoring chances, but their attempts went wide, high or were stifled by Mountaineer freshman goalie Melissa Mascari (Saratoga Springs, New York).
Southern Vermont then responded with its best scoring chance of the game. After a turnover at midfield by the Pride, sophomore Melodie Orrell (Gloucester, Massachusetts) gobbled up the ball and began pushing it through the heart of the Regis defense. Orrell sent a through ball to Mountaineer leading scorer and sophomore Lauren Nesshoever (Rutland, Vermont) who stayed onside and found herself with a one-on-one chance at Gagnon. Nesshoever made her move, but Gagnon didn't bite and stayed square, thwarting the shot attempt to keep the game scoreless.
The Pride kept up the pressure, turning in four shots before the break including a great chance by sophomore midfielder Sofia Neri (Lincoln, Massachusetts) who headed the ball off a corner kick from senior Jackie Rocheville (Salem, Massachusetts). It ended up being blocked by a Mountaineer defender as the two squads went into halftime still deadlocked at 0-0.
The teams kept exchanging blows during the second half as each side had multiple possessions in the opponent's defensive zone. The Pride finally broke through during the 76th minute after a corner kick opportunity. Rocheville took a chance for Regis and lifted the ball high into the air from the flag; the ball was bouncing around in the box, but was cleared to just outside the Mountaineer attacking zone. Joseph collected the loose ball and began to push it up the right side; as she headed into the box, Rocheville slid it to the center for a waiting Rosa who was standing alone near the middle of the net. Rosa tipped it into the lower right corner of the frame for her eighth goal of the season, putting her team up 1-0 with what proved to be the game-winner.
Gagnon earned her eighth consecutive shutout victory (10-5-2) while making six saves. Mascari made 14 saves on 22 shots in the defeat (7-10).
Both Regis and Southern Vermont have qualified for the 2014 NECC Women's Soccer Championship which begins with first round play on Tuesday. Seeding for the tournament, along with sites and start times, will be announced by the conference later this weekend.