By Dylan Botelho, Sports Editor
With two home games just days apart from each other, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs Women’s soccer team would split decisions against both Connecticut College and Plymouth State.
The Corsairs started the week off falling to the Connecticut College Camels in a close 1-0 game at UMass Dartmouth’s Cressy Field. Despite the loss, Corsairs sophomore goal keeper Jamiee O’Brien tied her career-high in saves with a total of 11 in goal Thursday night. O’Brien kept the Corsairs in the game for the entirety of the game but the Connecticut College Camels held on to their early lead for the entirety of the 90-minutes.
The Camels started the game off with their foot firmly on the gas, putting seven shots on O’Brien and earning five corners in only the opening 20 minutes of the game. After all that pressure, the Corsairs’ defending finally collapsed in the 21st minute. Connecticut College junior Alyssa Kogelmann took advantage of the Corsairs warrying defense and with some finesse and teamwork rallied a cross through to teammate sophomore, Tori Kretzmer, who rifled one through the hands of Corsairs’ keeper O’Brien.
The Camels first score would prove to be the defining play of the game, but it wasn’t without the Corsairs fair share of chances.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs best attempt at equalizing the score came not long after they fell behind, when Corsairs senior Courtney Hewitt’s strong shot found the goal, but was swallowed up in the hands of Camels’ goal keeper, junior Sarah Williams.
O’Brien was the star of the night, as this game could have easily gotten out of hand for the Corsairs. Connecticut College outshot UMass Dartmouth by a total margin of 25-9 and tallied on plenty of closer opportunities with an outrageous 18 corner kicks. Luckily though, O’Brien brought her A-game, the same she brought almost a year ago on September 26th against Springfield, when her 11 saves once again weren’t enough for a victory in a 6-1 loss.
O’Brien would shine again for the Corsairs later in the week, on Saturday, and this time the team’s offense provided strong support.
In the Corsairs Little East Conference opener against Plymouth State, O’Brien stopped eight shots on net en route to a 1-0 conference victory.
Despite an aggressive first half from the Plymouth State Panthers, Corsairs’ junior Ella Rath scored the game’s decisive goal with style in the 37th minute. The Corsairs may have not started the week off like they’d hoped but they’re conference victory against Plymouth State snapped their three-game losing streak while simultaneously ending the Panthers’ three-game undefeated record.
The Corsairs will be back in action, this time on the road at Clark University at 7PM on Tuesday, September 18th.