DEFENDING CHAMPS HAND SAINTS FIRST GNAC LOSS
NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell College Women’s Soccer Team won its fourth-straight match, defeating Emmanuel College 4-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Taylor Field. The defending Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champions improved to 7-2 on the season and remained perfect in conference play at 4-0. Emmanuel dropped to 4-6-2 for the 2013 season, while sliding to 2-1-1 in GNAC contests.
NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell College Women's Soccer Team won its fourth-straight match, defeating Emmanuel College 4-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Taylor Field. The defending Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champions improved to 7-2 on the season and remained perfect in conference play at 4-0. Emmanuel dropped to 4-6-2 for the 2013 season, while sliding to 2-1-1 in GNAC contests.
Bridget Lynch (Dover, N.H.) netted a hat-trick for Lasell, pushing her season goal tally to 15, and Melissa Leonard (N. Brookfield, Mass.) scored her third goal of the year for the Lasers. GNAC Rookie of the Week Courtney Freadman (Richmond, Mass.) tallied the Saints' lone goal in the contest for her third of the marker of the season.
Leah Pappalardo (Whitman, Mass.) made three saves while earning the win in net for the Lasers, while Abaigeal Thivierge (Bennington, Vt.) took the loss in goal for Emmanuel, despite making nine saves on the afternoon.
Lasell pressed the visitors from the opening minutes creating four quality chances in the first ten minutes of action but were unable to convert any of those chances. Emmanuel settled into the match creating a pair of chances of their own, as Katelyn Fink (Sanford, Maine) saw one shot sail wide and a second chance picked out of the air by the Lasers' net-minder.
Lasell got on the board first when Lynch pushed the ball up the right flank before striking a service that found an unmarked Leonard on the back post. Leonard calmly finished the pass to give Lasell a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute of play.
Lynch pushed the hosts' advantage to 2-0 in the 39th minute when she touched the ball past a pair of Emmanuel defenders before slipping the ball past the Saints' keeper. Lasell took a 2-0 lead into the half, using a 15-4 advantage in shots to control the action.
Lasell claimed a 3-0 lead in the 57th minute when Arianna DiOrio (Revere, Mass.) drove the end-line and lofted a cross that found the head of a diving Lynch before settling into the back of the net.
Emmanuel's Freadman made it a 3-1 game in the 77th minute, out-working a pair of Lasell defenders for possession and touching the ball beyond them before tucking a shot under a diving Pappalardo.
Lynch added her third goal of the season in the 87th minute, tallying from the penalty spot to create to final 4-1 margin.
Lasell will return to action on Saturday October 5th when they host the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at 1:00 PM, while Emmanuel will resume their campaign on Saturday October 5th, when the Saints visit Norwich University for a 7:00 PM match under the lights
- Release courtesy of Lasell College Sports Information