WALTHAM, Mass. – Seventh seed Regis College battled with second seed Lasell University throughout a rainy night, but a goal late in the second half allowed the Lasers to prevail over the Pride, 1-0, Saturday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament quarterfinal match at Gordon Field on the campus of Brandeis University.
After a feeling-out process early in the first half, Lasell took control of the action, taking several shots as the half reached the midway point. Later in the half, the Lasers had a couple of solid chances to take the lead, but a shot by Serena Speight was turned away by Regis goalie Angie Caldwell (Goffstown, N.H.) and an ensuing scoring attempt by Narissa Libby hit the crossbar.
Caldwell was tested again right away to start the second half, as she stopped a shot by Priscilla Martinelli 17 seconds after halftime. Caldwell would later make saves on scoring attempts by Alyssa DeOliveira and Speight, plus the crossbar would once again benefit the Pride as a shot by Erin Petrocelli in the 64th minute hit the iron.
The Lasers would finally break through with 8:08 remaining in regulation as Martinelli chipped a shot over Caldwell's head into the net for her seventh goal of the season. The Pride did create an opportunity to tie the match in the 84th minute, but a header by Hailey Lovell (Wakefield, Mass.) sailed wide right.
Lasell finished with 23 total shots, led by nine shots from DeOliveira and five shots by Speight, while Sam Perkins (Whitman, Mass.) paced the Pride with three total shots, including two shots on goal. Laser keeper Angela Sanzari earned a clean sheet as she made two saves, while Caldwell tied her season high with seven saves during the match.
Regis College ends the 2021 season with an 8-6-2 record. Lasell moves on to the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament.