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New England College

Riley Vachon
Photo: Meaghan Marcus
Riley Vachon
3
Winner Vermont State Castle VERMONT (2-1-0, 0-0)
1
New England Col. NEW ENGL (0-4-0, 0-1)
Winner
Vermont State Castle VERMONT
(2-1-0, 0-0)
3
Final
1
New England Col. NEW ENGL
(0-4-0, 0-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Vermont State Castle VERMONT 1 2 3
New England Col. NEW ENGL 0 1 1

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Women’s Soccer Comes Up Short Against Spartans

HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College women's soccer team fell short in a competitve non-conference matchup against visiting Vermont State University-Castleton on Sunday afternoon at Don Melander Field in Henniker, New Hampshire.  

THE BASICS 
Score: VTSU-Castleton 3, New England College 1 
Records: Spartans 2-1, 0-0 LEC | Pilgrims 0-4, 0-1 GNAC 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

  • VTSU-Castleton's Maggie McKearin (Proctor, Vt.) looked to get the scoring started in the 8th minute, taking a shot in the center of the box that was set to be on goal before it was blocked by the NEC defender. Unfortunately for the Pilgrims, the deflection was picked up by Becky Hannwacker (Smithtown, N.Y.) and put in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.  
  • Not even 20 seconds later, senior forward Shelby McBain (Indianhead, Md.) nearly had the immediate response, but her breakaway shot on goal was saved by Castleton goalkeeper Emma Ezzo (West Haven, Vt.).  
  • In the 22nd minute, junior midfielder Mia Loewenberg (Milford, Conn.) took an NEC free kick just above the top of the visitors' box and lasered a shot to the top left corner of the net, but Ezzo made a remarkable save to keep the Pilgrims off the scoreboard and prevent what would have been a great equalizer goal.  
  • The Spartans came out of halftime aggressively with multiple opportunities in the opening minutes but the 'Grims defense was able to hold firm. The Spartans finally broke through in the 59th minute as McKearin netted her second goal of the game. 
  • In the 76th minute, the Pilgrims would finally get on the board as junior forward Riley Vachon (Laconia, N.H.) got the ball directly in front of the opposition's net and squeezed it past Ezzo for her second career goal and first of the season.  
  • Just as the Pilgrims pulled within one, in the 84th minute the Spartans would create some cushion in the form of an Alexis Billings (Carver, Mass.) goal to re-extend their lead to two goals. That lead would remain unchanged for the final six minutes of the match, with Castleton taking the 3-1 victory.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

  • Ezzo had a strong day in net with eight saves for the Spartans including a pair of big stops on NEC free kicks. 
  • Junior goalkeeper Hollie Bomba (Seymour, Conn.) made two saves for the Pilgrims. 
  • NEC outshot VTSU-Castleton 9-5 on net. NEC also held a narrow 4-2 advantage on corner kicks.  
  • Castleton incurred 16 fouls and were called offside seven times but were still able to come out on top. 

UP NEXT 

  • NEC is back on the field on Wednesday, September 11th, when they make the short trip to Rivier University for a GNAC matchup starting at 4:00 PM. 
  • The Spartans play their next game at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Wednesday at 7:00 PM. 

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.  

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