Women's Soccer Held Off By Nichols, 1-0
WOMEN'S SOCCER HELD OFF BY NICHOLS, 1-0
CHICOPEE, MA, Sept. 5, 2007 - Elms College junior goalkeeper Shannon Donnelly (Florence, MA) turned aside 10 shots, but Nichols College freshman defender Melissa Mendall (Quincy, MA) netted the game's only goal in the 78th minute to help lift the Bison to a 1-0 win over the Blazers in Wednesday's non-conference women's soccer game at Leary Field.
With the win, Nichols evened its record at 1-1, while Elms College remains winless at 0-3.
The game was scoreless until the 78th minute when Mendall broke down the wing and blasted a shot past Donnelly just inside the near post for what stood as the eventual game-winner.
The Blazers nearly netted the equalizer twice in the final five minutes.
In the 75th minute, sophomore midfielder Kelsey Battige (Monson, MA) blasted a shot from inside the 18-yard box, but Nichols junior goalkeeper Sarah Levesque (Ludlow, MA) made the save.
With the Bison still leading in the closing seconds, sophomore forward Krystyna Gagne (Methuen, MA) collected a loose ball inside the six-yard box and broke through a pair of defenders, but was unable to get off a shot as time expired.
Levesque and freshman Nicole Johnson (Westhampton, MA) combined to stop seven shots in the shutout victory for the Bison.
Elms College returns to non-conference play at Westfield State on Tuesday, September 11. Game time is 7:00 p.m.