After a harsh outing at The SUNY Cortland Tournament in Cortland, N.Y. against a group of tough teams, the Beacons looked to rebound when Plymouth State University came to James Cotter Field Friday, Sept. 15. The hundreds of Beacon faithful looked to help guide their team to a nice, rebounding win in the opening game of their Little East Conference schedule. The Panthers of Plymouth State got their first win of the season not long before, as according to their website, they secured a 3–0 win against The University of Maine Farmington Sept. 12, and looked for another victory with their newly gained momentum. (1)
The Beacons got off to a blazing start with a goal by Andera Rivera; she was assisted by Caleigh Sullivan on the corner kick, giving the team an early 1–0 lead in the 19th minute. What followed was a defensive half from both teams; the Beacons tried their best to score another goal to solidify their lead in an effort to put the game to bed early on. The team entered halftime with the 1–0 lead and hoped to get the second half started with a bang. Around 20 minutes into the second half, UMass Boston scored again: Rivera fed the ball to Callia Eaton for an excellent goal, extending the Beacons’ lead to two.
UMass Boston was red hot for the entire contest, but the Panthers dimmed the flame with a goal of their own by Tindra Bergstrand, assisted by Kaliana Palhof, cutting the Beacons’ lead in half, making it 2–1 in the 62nd minute. For the rest of the game, the team fought hard to keep the ball away from the Panthers, controlling possession for most of the second half and maintaining a 2–1 score until the final horn. As a result, they added another game to the win column, and the Beacons got their momentum back with a solid effort, coming out victorious in a hard fought game that saw great play by all.
Four days later, on Tuesday, Sept. 19, the team traveled down the road to Milton, Mass. for another non-conference game to take on Curry College and their Colonels. Curry athletics reported that prior to this game, Curry was on a three-game losing streak and looking to get an all-important home win. (2) Kaylee Haynes scored first for the Beacons, and according to Beacon athletics, it was her 20th career goal; she was fed a great pass by Georgia Bonney and provided an early 1–0 lead in the process. (3)
For the rest of the first half, both offenses were kept quiet with marvelous saves by Beacons’ goalie Isabella O’Connell and Colonels’ goalie Lexi Smardon. UMass Boston entered halftime with a tight 1–0 lead and looked to eliminate Curry’s chances of a comeback. The team looked strong coming out of halftime; the defense was putting on a clinic and were maintaining the 1–0 lead, but a crack in the backlines during the 60th minute allowed a game tying score from Avery Ewell. It was Ewell’s first career goal, and the game was tied at one with a half hour of play left. The final minutes of the game saw only one shot from UMass Boston, but it failed to hit the net. Both teams stayed static on the offensive side of the ball, and as reported by Beacon athletics, the game ended in a 1–1 draw. (1)
While their draw against Curry was not the exact result the Beacons were looking for, they still played with grit and intensity, vastly improving from their previous bouts at The SUNY Cortland Tournament. Unfortunately, it’s a rocky road coming up. The Beacons will embark on a three-game road trip beginning Sept. 27 against UMass Dartmouth; it isn’t until Saturday, Oct. 7 that the team returns home to take on Keene State College. (2) These matches forthcoming are essential to the Beacons’ success, and now is the time to lock in and maintain their composure without a home turf to their advantage.
- https://athletics.plymouth.edu/sports/wsoc
- https://www.curryathletics.com/sports/wsoc/index
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-soccer