Monks Strike Twice Late, Rally Past Cadets 2-1

Monks Strike Twice Late, Rally Past Cadets 2-1

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University women's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Saint Joseph's (Maine) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Wednesday afternoon.

After leading for a majority of the game, Saint Joseph's (Maine) scored two goals 21 seconds apart in the final seven minutes of the game to snatch away a crucial three points from the Cadets in the league standings.

Haley DaGraca got the Monks (6-1, 3-1 GNAC) on the board with 6:21 left in the second half chasing down a through ball by Colleen Sheehan from midfield, dribbling a couple steps before firing a shot past Norwich goalkeeper Katie Bishop-Manning (New York, N.Y.) from just inside the 18 into the bottom left corner of the net.

Just 21 seconds later freshman Kayley Mattos used her speed to chase down a loose ball slowly rolling towards the top of the box. Bishop-Manning beat her to the ball but her attempt to clear it away bounced off Mattos' body high into the air. She then ran down the ball to the right of the NU net and buried it with her right foot into an open net before Bishop-Manning could recover.

Norwich (6-3, 3-3 GNAC) took the lead 15:35 into the contest when Karyssa Lachance (Gorham, N.H.) took a pass, cut the ball back around a defender and fired a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net from the top of the 18 for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.

The Cadets made the lead stand up all the way until the last seven minutes of the game despite a barrage of shots and possession controlled by Saint Joseph's (Maine) for the remainder of the first half and the entire second half.

Bishop-Manning finished with 10 saves before having to exit for the final six minutes. Kim Watt (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) came on for the final six minutes.

Adia Grogan made four saves for Saint Joseph's (Maine) to pick up the victory in goal for the Monks. She also got the help of the goal post after Norwich's Sydney Rocheville hit the right post late in the first half to keep the deficit at 1-0.

Both teams are back at it on Friday, when the Monks host Anna Maria College at 7:30 PM and the Cadets take on University of Saint Joseph (CT) at home in a 5:30 PM start.

 

COURTESY OF NORWICH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

 

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.