Women's Soccer Shuts Out Regis To Close Regular Season

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College women's soccer team set the program record for regular season wins, registering a 2-0 victory over visiting Regis College in their New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) regular season finale at Leary Field Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Blazers improve to 14-3-1 on the year, and 7-1 in the NECC, while Regis falls to 5-11-2 overall, and 3-5-1 in conference play.

Prior to the match, the Blazers honored their departing seniors, Lyndsey Oppenheimer (Easthampton, Mass.), Michelle Rossignol (Manchester, Conn.), and Alexa Rinaudo (Bellmore, N.Y.).

The Blazers broke a scoreless tie in the ninth minute of play as sophomore Angelina Estrada (Springfield, Mass.) dribbled through the midfield and fired a shot on Regis senior goalie Rachel Gannon (Ashford, Conn.), who stopped the initial shot, but Estrada raced for the rebound and tucked a shot into the open net, giving Elms an early 1-0 lead. The Blazers defense limited the Pride to one shot in the opening half as they took the 1-0 lead into the intermission.

With 38:43 left to play, sophomore Jackie Soucia (Belchertown, Mass.) launched a cross to the front of the net, where Rossignol head home her eighth goal of the season to extend the Blazers advantage to 2-0. Elms held the Pride to a lone shot in the second half, en route to the 2-0 victory.

The Blazers controlled the shot column during the contest, 17-2. Rinaudo posted her eighth shutout of the season with one save, while Gannon stopped nine shots for Regis. With the win, Elms sets the program record for regular season wins (14), while posting the first undefeated regular season at Leary Field.

"It feels really good to set a program record," said Elms College Head Coach Sean Milbier. "I think back to preseason, and working hard from day one. We told the team that we were going to push them further than they've ever been pushed, and we did, and they responded by working hard all year. We pour it our everyday training at Leary Field, and we hold the field in high regard. [Leary] is very special to us, and we never want to lose here. We celebrated three phenomenal young women today, and they all had a huge impact on this match today. They are going to be tough players to replace. We controlled the ball well, moved the ball quickly and the faster we played, [Regis] couldn't keep up. Our speed of play, defending well, and burying our chances were key for the win. It's always good to head into the postseason on a winning streak. We'll train, get healthy, and come out ready for whoever we play."

The Blazers earned the second-seed in the NECC tournament, and will host the seventh-seed in the First Round Tuesday night at Leary Field. Kickoff is to be determined. Regis currently sits with the sixth-seed in the NECC tournament and will travel to the third-seed Tuesday.

ELMS SOCCER