MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm women's soccer team was hoping to get a statement win in Saturday's Northeast-10 opener, but it was visiting New Haven that held on for the 3-2 league-opening victory.
The slick conditions were clearly a factor for both squads as the two teams down-shifted their offensive game plan to combat the slower pace.
While the temperatures and raindrops continued to fall throughout the game, the scoring opportunities for Saint Anselm (1-1, 0-1 Northeast-10) did quite the opposite. The Hawks outshot New Haven (2-2, 1-0 NE-10) 28-11 overall and 16-8 in on-goal attempts. But New Haven successfully defended its slim lead through the second half.
The Chargers used a pair of early tallies—both within the first eight minutes of play—to surge into the lead. New Haven opened with a breakaway cross from the right post to put one past Saint Anselm sophomore goalkeeper Cassie Quattropani (East Hartford, Conn.), then a scramble of deflections in the box after a corner kick found the back of a net to set up an early deficit.
The Hawks, down two goals, settled in and worked on their possession game. Finally, junior midfielder Rachel Gillies (Auburn, Mass.) broke away from a pair of New Haven defenders and blasted an unassisted 20-foot shot past the Charger goalkeeper to notch her first score of the season in the 21st minute of the first half.
Nearing the half, some miscommunication among Saint Anselm defenders led to a deep New Haven chip shot that bounced in, handing the Chargers what would be the deciding goal.
For the second straight game, Saint Anselm freshman Alexis Elowitch (Portland, Maine) was on the receiving end of another great crossing pass, this time from sophomore Kristen MacGray (Norton, Mass.) with just over one minute remaining in the half.
The late score would clearly swing momentum back in favor or the Hawks heading into the second half, who outshot New Haven 16-6 in the second half alone. Yet, despite a heavy advantage in time-of-possession, New Haven's goalkeeper shut out the Hawks with 10 saves in the period.
The Hawks will return to NE-10 action Wednesday at Bentley University in a 3:30 p.m. start. Saint Anselm will play three games on the road before returning to Melucci Field on Saturday, September 27.
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