DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Junior
Ashley Plante (Concord, N.H.) tapped in her third goal of the season, but the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth used two second-half goals to top Plymouth State University, 3-1, in the Little East Conference (LEC) opener for both schools at Cressy Field on Friday night.
Plante took advantage of a one-on-one situation with the opposing goalie after freshman
Molly Bellmore (Hebron, Conn.) made a clean pass on a breakaway. Plante fired a shot to the corner of the net for the first score of the night.
The Panthers went back-and-forth with UMD but couldn't maintain control as the hosts pulled even late in the first half and added the only two scores of the second half to pull away for the win.
Plymouth State has its record evened at 3-3-0 (0-1-0 LEC), while UMass Dartmouth goes to 3-2-0 (1-0-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, UMass Dartmouth 3
- Plymouth State (3-3-0, 0-1-0 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth (3-2-0, 1-0-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The Panthers pressured the Corsairs early with two corner kick attempts and a shot by graduate student Taylor Siewierski (Colebrook, N.H.).
- Plante succeeded with her shot to the net after Bellmore's assist to gain control of the scoreboard, 1-0.
- Not long after, UMD gained control of the ball and scored to tie the game by the end of the first half.
- The Corsairs continued off the momentum with two more goals in the first five minutes of play after the intermission to take the lead, 3-1.
- Graduate student Elena Register (Helena, Ala.) made two key saves in the middle of the half to keep the Panthers within striking distance.
- Siewierski and graduate student Cara Easter (Weare, N.H.) attempted to mount a last-minute comeback with a pair of shots, but the clock ran out on the Panthers.
By the Numbers:
- Register finished with four saves in the full 90 minutes.
- Plante's goal was her third of the season.
- The two teams each earned four corner kicks.
- UMD slightly outnumbered the Panthers in shots, 9-7.
- Bellmore snagged her third assist on the season. She has a point in five of the team's six games.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State visits NVU-Lyndon for a non-conference match on Monday (Sept. 19) at 4:00 p.m.
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