NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Senior midfielder
Melissa Guillemette (Branford, Conn.) broke a scoreless tie on a breakaway off a feed from senior forward
Melissa Maini (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) in the 71st minute give the Mount Saint Mary College women's soccer team their first victory over Vassar College in nearly 22 years Wednesday evening at Kaplan Field.
The Knights last defeated the Brewers back on Oct. 13, 1993. The win gives the Knights a season-opening record of 1-0, while the Brewers drop to 0-1 on the young campaign.
Maini nearly gave the Knights the lead in the 59th minute with a shot to the right corner of the net, but Vassar netminder Emma Nichols made a diving stop to keep the game scoreless. Maini led Guillemette in the 71st minute down the left side of the field, allowing her to beat multiple defenders and fire past the keeper to the top right shelf to give the Knights a 1-0 lead and eventually the victory.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Mary Riley (Newburgh, N.Y.) opens the year with a shutout to improve to 1-0. She made six saves en route to her 10th career shutout. Nichols falls to 0-1 after allowing a goal and stopping three shots.
Wednesday's matchup turned into a defensive struggle, as only 16 total shots were attempted in the game. The Brewers held a 10-6 advantage on that front, but were unable to squeak one past Riley. The Knights won the corner-kick battle, 7-5, but neither team managed to capitalize from the corner.
Having finally broken a losing streak spanning more than two decades, the Knights will look to ride their momentum all the way down to the Lone Star State, as they head to Richardson, Texas, to participate in the University of Texas at Dallas Comet Cup. The Knights will first take on Principia College on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 4 p.m. EST.
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