WESTON, Mass. – After the eight seniors on the team were recognized, two of them combined for the only goal of the night and two others shared another shutout as Regis College held on to defeat Simmons University, 1-0, Wednesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's soccer match at Regis Stadium.
Simmons controlled the early action, creating a scoring opportunity 10 minutes into the match as a shot by Izabella Warren was stopped by Ori Attridge (Westwood, Mass.).
Regis gained control, with Valerie Gordon (Hudson, N.H.) feeding Julia Walsh (Waltham, Mass.) for Walsh's first goal of the season. The Pride continued to pick up the offensive intensity, maintaining possession and earning several chances to add to their lead. However, Simmons keeper Marita Nothacker was able to turn away shots from Hailey Lovell (Wakefield, Mass.) and Maya DiMino (Billerica, Mass.) late in the first half, keeping the Sharks within one heading into halftime.
After two more saves by Nothacker early in the second half, Simmons threatened to tie the match in the 53rd minute, but Angie Caldwell (Goffstown, N.H.), taking over in net to start the second half, saved shots on goal by Liv Shaw and Warren to keep the Pride ahead.
Regis nearly extended its lead in the 70th minute on a free kick, but Allison Meade's (Stoneham, Mass.) blast hit the crossbar and follow-up shots by Alexa Katsoulis (Oxford, Mass.) and Miya Nishibun (Honolulu, Hawaii) could not get past Nothacker.
The Sharks put together a counterattack in the final minute of regulation, drawing a corner kick opportunity. However, Caldwell was able to punch the entry pass out of harm's way, clinching the victory for the Pride. Attridge and Caldwell combined for three saves as they kept Simmons off the scoreboard.
The Pride finished with 29 total shots, including 14 shots on goal, but Nothacker kept Simmons in the match with 13 saves. Lovell led Regis with seven total shots, including five shots on goal, while Nishibun took six shots during the contest.
Before the match, Attridge, Caldwell, Gordon, Katharine Ives (Arlington, Mass.), Alex Maher (Reading, Mass.), Nishibun, Kerri Urquhart (Burlington, Mass.), and Walsh were joined by their families on the field for a Senior Night presentation.
Regis (7-4, 6-3 GNAC) heads to Chicopee, Mass., to face GNAC newcomer Elms College Saturday, Oct. 16, starting at 2 p.m. Simmons (2-9-1, 2-5-1 GNAC) travels to Standish, Maine, to take on Saint Joseph's College Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.