SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Junior Sana Barclay's first collegiate goal proved to be the difference as the Mount Holyoke College soccer team defeated Smith College by a 1-0 margin in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Tuesday evening. The win moves the Lyons to 6-11-0 and 1-8-0 in conference play, while the Pioneers slip to 5-9-2 and 3-5-1 in the NEWMAC.
Barclay (Takoma Park, Md./Montgomery Blair) took an initial shot that was blocked by a Smith defender, but was able to capitalize off the rebound, sending the ball into the lower right corner in the 79th minute.
Smith charged back, attacking on goal and receiving four corner kicks in a row, but was ultimately unable to capitalize as the Lyons defense held strong. Smith had a total of seven corner kicks throughout the game while Mount Holyoke had two only in the second half of action.
The Pioneers started strong to open the contest as an attempted shot by sophomore Lily Eriksen (Seattle, Wash./Bush School) off a corner kick was stopped by first year keeper Zoe Marshall (Mississauga, Ont./ Cawthra Park Secondary). The first half saw only six shots by the Pioneers and one shot by the Lyons as play remained leveled.
Action ramped up in the second half as Smith peppered the Mount Holyoke end by a 16-5 margin in shots. A free kick by senior Aidan Hitt (Arlington, Va./ Yorktown) gave a perfect opportunity for sophomore Olivia Mallari (Waterford, Conn./ Waterford) in front, but senior Katie Dupuis (Holyoke, Mass./ Williston Northhampton School) made it to the ball first, eliminating the Pioneers' threat.
Hitt also had a second shot towards the high right corner, but Marshall came in with a jumping save to keep it away. Marshall had 12 saves in the game while first year Alanna Lynch (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) recorded just one save in the Smith goal.
The Lyons are back in action on Saturday, hosting WPI at 2pm in the regular season finale for both teams. Smith also returns to play on Saturday, hosting Wheaton at 1pm.
Story by Samantha Campagna '14, Mount Holyoke Sports Information. Photo courtesy of Doug Keller.
