SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College soccer team took an early 1-0 lead against Springfield College, but the visiting Pride shrugged it off with three unanswered goals for a 3-1 victory in NEWMAC play on Wednesday night.
Springfield (7-3-2, 5-1 NEWMAC) rose to second place in the NEWMAC with the win, leaving Mount Holyoke (2-7-2, 0-6 NEWMAC) in search of its first conference victory, with four straight losses.
The Lyons struck first with a beautiful goal in the sixth minute, as sophomore Ada Siepmann (Vlotho, Germany) delivered a perfect lead pass down the left wing for junior Hannah Keochakian (Amherst, Mass.). Keochakian raced to catch up to the ball, carried and slipped a low shot past the reach of Springfield goalie Taryn Ryan and inside the far post. The goal was Keochakian's second this season.
Springfield tied the game in the 11th minute, when a Pride cross was touched but not controlled in succession by Mount Holyoke sophomore goalie Clarissa Govea (Pico Rivera, Calif.) and first-year defender Schuyler Pettibone (Raleigh, N.C.), and Springfield's Sadie Crozier was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the chaos and bury her third goal of the season.
The score remained tied at 1-1 at the half, despite a 13-7 Springfield advantage in shots attempted. But the Pride seized the lead in the 55th minute. Govea saved Jen Walker's hard shot on goal from the right side, but the rebound went to Walker, who passed to Maddie Daigneault in front of the goal. Daigneault had time to stop, turn and shoot past Govea for the 2-1 lead and her first goal of the season.
Kaitlyn Suller added Springfield's third goal in the 86th minute with a well-struck left-footed shot from 20 yards in front of the Lyons goal. The goal was Suller's third.
Springfield enjoyed a 30-9 advantage in shots attempted, 11-7 in shots on goal and 6-2 in corner kicks.
Ryan made six saves for Springfield, while Govea made seven saves for Mount Holyoke. The Lyons also recorded a team save in the first half when Pettibone deflected a shot on goal by Meredith Healy.
Both teams return to NEWMAC action Saturday at 1pm, with Mount Holyoke visiting Wheaton and Springfield hosting Emerson.
