BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Valeria Zapata (Pawtucket, R.I.) broke a scoreless tie, scoring with 24:38 left in regulation and senior Jess Gardner (Wilbraham, Mass.) made eight saves – including a key stop with 47 seconds left – as the Wentworth women's soccer team picked up its first win of the season with a 1-0 win over New England College.
The opening portion of the contest saw both teams struggle to gain an advantage as play was centered around midfield. Both teams would eventually have chances, including when Zapata hit the crossbar in the 35th minute of play, and after the first 45:00 the Pilgrims held an 8-5 advantage on shots.
Wentworth controlled play in the early part of the second half and had a pair of scoring opportunities that were denied by sophomore Tricia Sardagnola (Shrewsbury, Mass.). Finally the Leopards would break the stalemate when sophomore Olivia Moore (Salem, Conn.) fed Zapata along the left flank and put home the third goal of her rookie campaign.
Less than two minutes later, New England College had a chance to tie the game, but freshman Molly Puchtler's attempt caught the near post and caromed over the end line. With three consecutive corner kicks, the hosts had a chance to extend their lead but managed one shot attempt during that span.
With less than a minute left in the contest, the Pilgrims made one last run and saw sophomore Kaylee Thrasher (Candia, N.H.) deliver a shot to the upper right corner. However, Gardner denied the attempt, saving the win for the Black & Gold.
Sardagnola made seven saves for New England College, which held a 17-13 shot advantage. Wentworth had a slim, 6-5 advantage on corner kicks.
With the win Wentworth improves to 1-1-1 on the year and is at Western Connecticut on Thursday evening. New England College dropped its second straight to stand at 2-2-0. The Pilgrims are at Albertus Mangus tomorrow afternoon.
