BENNINGTON, Vt. – On a blustery, cold Saturday afternoon, visiting Regis College knocked off Southern Vermont College 2-0 in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action at Everett Field.

The Pride notched a score in each half while sophomore keeper Rachel Gagnon (Ashford, Conn.) recorded her league-leading seventh shutout of the season to improve Regis' record to 9-6-2 overall and 6-2-1 in the NECC. Southern Vermont falls to 6-8-1 overall and 5-4 in the conference with the loss.

The two sides battled through the middle third of the field for the opening five minutes, neither getting the pass needed for a solid opportunity at goal. Six minutes in, however, an SVC foul gave the Pride a direct kick from 35 yards out on the left side of the field. With the wind at her back, junior Jackie Rocheville (Salem, Mass.) stepped up and took the kick for RC, carrying it up over Mountaineer sophomore goalie Katie Raymond's (Bristol, Conn.) head across the frame and into the right side of the net for her third goal of the season.

Following the Pride goal, play started to open up for both sides as they would have chances, although none resulted in a tally as physical play made for strong defensive holds and limited quality looks. The match would go into the break with RC holding its 1-0 advantage.

The second half saw much of the same until Regis added its insurance in the 66th minute when Pride junior captain Jasmin Vivar (Attleboro, Mass.) collected a loose ball that had been battered around the box. At the top of the penalty area, she took a touch and fired on goal, placing it out of Raymond's reach and into the back of the next for her second of the year and the 2-0 Regis lead.

Southern Vermont would be forced to start pressing its offense, a strategy that came inches from paying off with 15 minutes to go. Mountaineer freshman Melodie Orrell (Gloucester, Mass.) worked her way through the Pride defense and found herself no more than ten yards away from Gagnon; her shot was turned away by the fully-extended netminder who left the rebound rolling on the doorstep. SVC sophomore Rachel Cudo (West Hartford, Conn.) ran on to the loose ball and let it rip, but Gagnon again came up huge and used a cat-like reflex to preserve the shutout. That would be the hosts' best opportunity as the time wore down and Regis walked off with the 2-0 victory.

Gagnon recorded three saves in the win (9-5-2) while Raymond turned away two Pride shots in the loss (5-8-1).

Both squads now look ahead to the NECC postseason tournament starting next week, seeding and matchups still to be announced.

Release courtesy of Southern Vermont College Sports Information