By Owen Lee, Staff Writer
The Corsairs women’s soccer team fought their hardest, but the Wentworth Leopards edged their way to victory in a 1-0 non-conference match this Tuesday, September 12. The winning goal was scored in the first half by Wentworth sophomore Sidney Brogan.
On Wentworth’s own Sweeney Field, the Corsairs faced their third defeat this season, not even counting their tie against Salem State the previous Saturday.
The match began with the Leopards bringing the pressure, in an offense led by Brogan and junior Leopard Emily Richard.
It’s thanks to the strong defense of UMass first year Jaimee O’Brien that Wentworth’s lead wasn’t higher, saving six times in her complete-game performance as goalie.
Unfortunately, she could not save for a seventh time, and the Leopards scored with a shot to the upper right side of the net, gaining a lead in the first half that UMass would struggle against in the second.
The Corsairs attacked in the second half, with sophomores Jamie Nakamura and Cara Pimentel leading the charge. They did their damndest to recoup the lost lead but were unfortunately blocked by junior goalie Christie Fleming.
The Leopards wisely withdrew to defense after gaining the lead, stopping the Corsairs from breaking through. While many would say this move was unwise as a one goal lead is far from safe, it paid dividends for the Leopards as they exited with the win.
You could say the final score was unglamorous, but thinking practically gave the win to the team with the steady lead.
Wentworth was definitely active this game, shooting 19 of a total 27 shots, most of them occurring in the first half. In fact, the shot total for the first 20 minutes was 7-3 Wentworth, and by the end of the game the Corsairs brought it to 7-5. It was this early offensive attack that pushed the Leopards ahead.
Wentworth lead in the number of fouls received, too, at 3-2. Throughout the game a stalemate was being reached, and an early slip through the cracks of an otherwise solid defense kept the game from a hard tie.
Sadly this seems to be the story for the Corsairs this Fall as they are currently sitting at 2-4-1.
While this record may seem dismal, it truly does not tell the whole story of this Corsair team. Each of their losses aside from one have been one goal decisions. It’s worth noting that the one loss that surpassed a goal difference was still only a 2-0 loss.
After this match, the Corsairs would go on to face defeat once more against Salve Regina on Thursday, and will travel to a victory at Plymouth State on Saturday. This year has gotten off to a rocky start, but it’s not exactly a losing streak yet. Hopefully soon the Corsairs will find their momentum.