CHICOPEE, Mass. — After a scoreless first half, a pair of well-placed shots helped second-seeded Elms College down No. 2 Southern Vermont College by a 2-0 tally in a Thursday evening New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) semifinal match at Leary Field.
On a night that felt more like mid-September than early November with a 7 p.m. game-time temperature of 65 degrees, neither side could get one into the net through the opening 45 minutes of action. The hosting Blazers put home the eventual game winner just 44 seconds into the second half, a high, curling shot falling in for a lead EC would not relinquish. As the Mountaineers pushed to find a late equalizer, Elms added an insurance goal with just under four minutes to play.
The loss brings Southern Vermont's overall record to 11-7-1. The Mountaineers now await to see if the season will continue with a selection to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England Championship, a postseason tournament that is scheduled to have its bracket announced Monday afternoon.
Southern Vermont seniors Abigail Rosas (Manteca, Calif.) and Karina Meza (Los Angeles, Calif.) were both named to the NECC All-Tournament Team for their play in the Mountaineers' postseason run.
Elms started the game with controlled possession through the SVC end of the field, a dangerous attempt coming 7:40 into the contest when the ball was passed in from the right side to attacking Blazers who were in position to have a take. The Southern Vermont defense stepped up, however, and won the cross before clearing it away to quash the opportunity. EC was granted three corner kicks in the opening 10 minutes, only to see the Mountaineers win it each time with sophomore keeper Melissa Mascari (Saratoga Spring, N.Y.) grabbing one out of the air. The SVC goaltender came up big soon after when a Blazer set herself at the right edge of the top of the box before firing a shot high on goal; Mascari made the leap and punched the ball off the crossbar, keeping the game knotted at 0-0.
Southern Vermont started to get its defense settled in while manufacturing offensive advances, a pair of long passes over the top from the midfield leading to the Mountaineers having two chances near the 25th minute. Neither was able to result in a shot on goal, however, as the Blazers were able to put an end to each attack. SVC was stable through the heart of the period, keeping Elms from getting any solid looks at net between the 15th and 40th minutes. That's when the Blazers had one more opportunity before the break, a square pass along the top of the box leading to an EC striker setting up to have a shot; the Southern Vermont defense contained the threat, forcing the take to come from outside the box for Masacri to make the easy slide to her right before reeling it in. A wide Elms attempt on a free kick in the closing seconds was the only other in the final minutes of the half as the game went to intermission scoreless.
After six corner kicks in the first period went without a positive result for the Blazers, their first of the second half paid dividends and made way for the game-winning tally. The initial ball sent in from the flag was knocked away by the SVC defense, but it found an EC player right outside of the box on the right side; with her back to the goal, the Blazer turned and sent a looping shot to the back post, one that dropped in under the bar and into the side netting for the hosts' 1 -0 upper hand.
As play ensued after the go-ahead goal, Southern Vermont started to push to find a tying opportunity. An Elms foul about 10 yards into its own end of the pitch allowed SVC to position itself around the box, but the set piece would be sent directly to the EC keeper for a save that thwarted the Mountaineers' look.
With just over 10 minutes to go in the match, Southern Vermont pressed forward to get on the board. Possibly the team's best chance then came when freshman Naya Cerda (West Islip, N.Y.) launched a throw-in from deep down the right touchline into the box; players from both teams jostled for the ball, SVC trying to get a solid shot off while the Blazers attempted to clear it away. Finally, a bounce fell in front of Mountaineer freshman Molly Madore (Higganum, Conn.) who got her foot on the ball, but she wasn't able to get all of it as her shot was pushed directly to the Elms goaltender. It was seven minutes later that EC got some separation, a shot taken around 15 yards out finding the top right corner of the net for the 2-0 decision as the Blazers finished off the victory.