SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – A last minute goal from first year Kat Retz led Coast Guard Academy to a 1-0 win over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) soccer action on Tuesday. With the win, the Bears improve to 5-5-0 overall and 2-2-0 in NEWMAC play, while the Lyons fall to 2-8-1 overall and 0-4-0 in conference.
After a defensive battle between the two teams, the score was 0-0 heading into the final minutes of action. Coast Guard controlled the ball down the stretch, owning a 6-1 shot advantage in the final 10 minutes of play. The Bears had two back-to-back corner kicks that led to solid shot opportunities, but junior goalkeeper Amanda Manaster (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) made two huge saves.
As time was winding down, Coast Guard went on the offensive, searching for its final shot attempt when first year forward Felicia Lombardi (Malden, Mass./Malden High School) received the ball in the middle of the field. After a couple dribbles, Lombardi fired a pass to Retz, who launched a shot from right outside the box that just snuck past a diving Manaster for the game-winner with 14 seconds left on the clock.
Mount Holyoke had one more attempt as junior midfielder Dale Leonheart (Petaluma, Calif./St. Vincent de Paul) fired a deep shot from midfield, but junior keeper Rachel Boohar (Oxford, Pa./Geargia Military College) collected the save and protected the ball to cement a 1-0 victory.
Boohar played all 90:00 minutes, taking on four shots and making four saves, while Lombardi recorded the lone assist of the game. Coast Guard outshot the Lyons 29-9 in the game.
For the Lyons, Manaster played all 90:00 minutes, making 12 saves, seeing 13 shots on goal. Senior forward Sara Sanaú Ruiz (Zaragoza, Spain/P.P. Dominicos-Cardenal Xavierre) had three shot attempts, one being on goal, while junior defender Avia Jacobs (Calabasas, Calif./Sierra Canyon) also had two shots on goal.
Coast Guard will be in action on Saturday, facing Babson at 2:00pm. Mount Holyoke will hit the road on Friday for a conference match against MIT starting at 7:00pm.
