FINK'S LATE GOAL GIVES SAINTS FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN

BOSTON, Mass. - Senior captain Katelyn Fink (Sanford, Maine) scored the game's lone goal in the 74th minute to lift the Emmanuel College Women's Soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Albertus Magnus College on Saturday afternoon. The victory marks five straight for the Saints and improves the team's record to 8-7 (6-1 GNAC), while the Falcons drop to 6-6-2 (4-3 GNAC).

The Saints, who are now alone in second place in the GNAC, opened the game on the attack, firing four shots toward the Albertus Magnus goal in the opening 13 minutes, but only one was on target and it was turned aside by Falcons freshman goalkeeper Maria Case (West Haven, Conn.). 

After a save by Saints sophomore keeper Tori LaRoche (Hudson, N.H.) in the 19th minute, the Saints regained control of the pace of play, earning a corner kick and two more shots on goal in an otherwise quiet first half for both teams. 

The second half began much like the first ended, with a large chunk of neutral zone play from both teams including a 14-minute span where neither team registered a shot. Things picked up in the 60th minute when senior Acacia Nelson (Bridgeport, Conn.) pushed a shot wide of LaRoche's goal and earned a corner kick. The Saints defended the corner well and used the counter attack to take momentum back downfield. In less than three minutes, EC won a corner and attempted three shots, including one on goal, but were unable to beat Case.

The Saints finally broke through in the 74th minute after senior Molly Carey's (Swampscott, Mass.) corner kick attempt was foiled. EC maintained possession and eventually the ball found the foot of freshman Mikayla Guthrie (North Andover, Mass.). Guthrie, the team leader in points and assists, dished it to Fink who buried her second goal of the season and gave the Saints the lead.

Down the stretch, Emmanuel used offense as its form of defense, applying more pressure as the time wound down. The Saints put four more shots towards the Albertus goal within one minute, forcing Case to make two saves, putting one wide, and hitting a post.

Freshman Kayla Generis (Wethersfield, Conn.) attempted seven shots in the game. She leads the team with 52 shots this season and ranks fifth in the conference in the same category.

Junior Taylor Rotella (Milford, Conn.) had a final chance for the Falcons in the 89th minute, but her shot sailed wide and LaRoche and the Saints earned their fourth clean sheet in five games. 

LaRoche extended her program-best shutout streak of 450:11 with her fifth shutout of the season. The clean sheet is the sophomore's tenth of her young career, which is good for third all-time at Emmanuel. Only one goalkeeper has more shutouts in a single season than LaRoche, as Jessica D'Ottavio '12 had seven in 2009.

The Saints, who are in the midst of a four-game homestand, will host Simmons College on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m. Simmons is currently one game behind the Saints for second place in the conference standings. Albertus Magnus will look to regroup on Monday, as Lasell heads to New Haven for a 1:00 p.m. tilt.