SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Powered by a pair of second half goals from junior midfielder Mary Silva, the Springfield College women's soccer team bested Mount Holyoke College, 2-0 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Tuesday. The Pride move to 8-4-2 and 4-2-2 in conference play, while the Lyons slip to 7-8-0 and 2-6-0 in the NEWMAC.
After a scoreless opening half that saw the visiting Pride own a 17-1 advantage in shots, Springfield converted in the 47th minute as Silva (Ludlow, Mass./Ludlow) buried a perfectly placed header into the right corner. Senior defender Elizabeth Monsen (Wayne, N.J./DePaul Catholic) earned the assist after sending in a great pass from just inside the offensive zone.
Silva went on to pull the visitors ahead by a 2-0 margin in the 56th minute, squeaking the loose ball in at the right post. Deep in the box, the MHC defense was unable to clear the ball as a group of players converged in front for the loose ball. Silva found the opening, sliding it past Lyons' keeper Zoe Marshall (Mississauga, Ont./Cawthra Park Secondary School).
Mount Holyoke saw its best opportunity come in the 68th minute on a fantastic cross from left to right by first year midfielder McKenna Lamb (Redland, Calif./The Webb Schools). Dribbling down the left side, Lamb crossed toward the right side as sophomore forward Sara Sanaú Ruiz (Zaragoza, Spain/P.P. Domenicos – Cardenal Xavierre) sped ahead of a defender. She rifled a shot in on goal, but the ball caromed off the crossbar and out.
The Lyons saw Sanaú Ruiz get another attempt, but Springfield's defense was solid, limiting MHC to just one more shot over the final 20 minutes. Leading the Pride blueline was junior keeper Ciara Boucher (Manchester, Conn./Glastonbury), who stopped three shots for the victory.
Mount Holyoke saw Marshall record nine saves in the defeat.
Springfield owned a 29-5 advantage in shots for the contest, while also edging the Lyons 11-0 in corner kicks.
The Lyons return to the pitch on Friday when they host Elms at 4pm. It also marks Senior Day for MHC's two graduating seniors. Springfield will host its final home game of the regular season on Saturday, taking on WPI at 1pm.
