MAURER NETS GAME-WINNER TO LIFT SAINTS PAST REGIS IN GNAC QUARTERFINALS, 1-0

THE BASICS 

Score:             
Regis College, 0; Emmanuel College,1
Records:         
Emmanuel College Saints (14-5, 9-3 GNAC)
Regis College Pride (10-7, 7-5 GNAC)
Location:        
Boston, Mass. – Roberto Clemente Field
Date:              
Friday, October 24, 2018

THE LEAD:  Freshman midfielder Bailey Maurer (Florence, Mass.) found the back of the net in the 66^th minute of play to power the Emmanuel College Women's Soccer team past Regis College, 1-0, Friday evening in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinals at Roberto Clemente Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED  

• The first half of action was similar to the last meeting between the two squads, seeing a balanced number of shots and possession as the Saints owned a slim 5-4 advantage in shots over the Pride at the break.
• Regis had the best scoring chance of the half, landing a direct kick just outside the Saints penalty area last in the half but the shot by Noelle Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.) was denied.
• Both keepers held their ground in the opening stanza as EC junior Lexi Gawron (South Hadley, Mass.) made four saves while freshman Oriana Attridge (Westwood, Mass.) stopped three shots to preserve a 0-0 score heading into halftime.
• Midway through the second half, Emmanuel forced Regis into surrendering a corner kick which would ultimately result in the game-winner. Sophomore Emma Johnson (Ellington, Conn.) sent a ball into the box that found the feet of junior forward Natalie Dash (East Hampton, Conn.). Dash redirected the ball towards the frame before Maurer finished off the play with her second collegiate goal and first game-winner.
• Regis had its' best chance to even the score with less than two minutes to play as the Pride transitioned deep into the Emmanuel zone, creating a scrum in front of the goal mouth. Regis freshman forward Kaylee Francis (Milton, Mass.) tried to get a shot off but was denied by Emmanuel junior back Kaylin Deschenes (Lynn, Mass.) who cleared the ball to thwart the scoring chance, preserving the 1-0 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Gawron finished the night with six saves to earn her fourth consecutive shutout and extend her scoreless streak in net to 405 minutes. The junior now boasts a 0.66 goals against average, the lowest in the GNAC.
• Attridge made five stops for the Pride and ends her rookie campaign with a 6-6 overall record in net.
• The shutout win was the 10^th clean slate of the year for the Saints, setting a new single-season record for shutouts in the program's 22 year history.
• EC is now 4-1 all-time vs. Regis, notching a pair of 1-0 victories this season over the Pride.
• The GNAC Quarterfinal win snaps a two-year skid for the Saints of getting bounced from the tournament in the opening round.

UP NEXT

• The Saints advance to the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since 2015 and will travel to top-seeded Lasell College for an afternoon contest on Wednesday, October 31. The two sides just played in the season-finale with Emmanuel coming away with a 2-1 victory over the Lasers.