Sept. 26, 2009

Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's soccer team could not answer when Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rival Emmanuel College pulled away in the second half. The Saints defeated the Cadets, 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Howard Field, in a re-match of last year's GNAC Championship game. The Saints are now 5-4-1 on the year and 3-1-1 in the GNAC, while Norwich dropped to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in league play.

Senior midfielder Kate McKenna (Holyoke, Mass.) paced the Saints with a pair of first half goals. Senior Meghan Long (Smithfield, R.I.) and junior Amber Di Nucci (Assonet, Mass.) added second half markers for Emmanuel.

Norwich got on the board first when freshman F Bianca Bogda scored her third goal of the season off an assist from Brittany Casey at the 28:37 mark. The Saints answered right back in the 31st minute when McKenna blasted a ball under the crossbar from 15 yards out. Long was credited with an assist on the goal, which came off a corner kick.

The Cadets regained the lead when sophomore D Stacey Flint netted her first goal of the season on a header off Casey's corner kick at the 40:15 mark to make it 2-1. McKenna tied the game at 2-2 just 19 seconds later, and that was the score as the teams went to halftime.

Long netted the game-winner in the 60th minute when she scored on a direct kick from just outside the penalty box. Di Nucci rounded out the scoring for the Saints with a goal in the 73rd minute when she shot a rebound past Norwich junior keeper Alicia Wright.

Wright ended the game with five saves, while Emmanuel's Jessica D'Ottavio (Pawling, N.Y.) recorded two saves in picking up the win for the Saints.

The Cadets will return to action on Sunday, Sept. 27, when they travel to Castleton, Vt., to battle in-state rival Castleton State College at 3 p.m. Emmanuel will play again on Tuesday night, when the Saints host the Mustangs of Mount Ida College in a 7pm start.