HENNIKER, N.H. – The Emmanuel College women's soccer team broke open a scoreless second half with a four-goal burst to defeat New England College 5-1 on Saturday at Don Melander Field, improving to 9-5-3 overall and 9-0-3 in conference play.
The Saints dominated from the opening whistle, outshooting the Pilgrims 32-6 and putting 15 shots on goal. Sophomore Abby Chambers opened the scoring in the 24th minute for her fourth goal of the season and the 1-0 halftime lead. NEC goalie Estrella Michaelidis kept the Pilgrims in the match through 45 minutes, but the second half proved too much to withstand.
Emmanuel struck first after the break when sophomore Kayla Silveira scored in the 67th minute for a 2-0 advantage. Senior Paige Letourneau followed less than two minutes later, notching her eighth goal of the year in the 69th. Sophomore Grace Foster made it 4-0 in the 71st with a finish off a Chambers assist, and Letourneau added her second of the day in the 76th minute to cap the run at 5-0.
New England College avoided the shutout moments later, as Stella-Blue Kraus scored in the 76th minute off a Grace Houde assist. It was just the sixth shot of the afternoon for the Pilgrims.
Goalkeeper Teigan Robie earned the win, making three saves over 80 minutes before handing the net to Elizabeth Glover, who stopped the one shot she faced to close out the match.
The Saints finish the regular season with a Wednesday, Oct. 28, match against Regis at 7:00 p.m. on Clemente Field. The winner of that match will clinch the No. 1 seed for the conference playoffs.
