Sept. 25, 2005
Final Stats
Loudonville, N.Y. - With 2:50 remaining in the contest, junior midfielder Sarah Hopkins (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal to propel the Saints over the Manhattan Lady Jaspers, 2-1 on a windy Sunday afternoon on the campus of Siena College.
With the victory, the Saints improve to 6-4-0 overall and remain perfect in MAAC play at 2-0-0. With the loss, the Lady Jaspers fall to 3-6-1, while dropping to 0-2-0 in the conference.
The Saints had numerous opportunities to register the first goal of the game early in the first session, but could not capitalize against the tough Jaspers' defense. The Saints took six shots in the first half, compared to the Jaspers' four. Neither team could put the ball between the pipes by intermission, as the score stayed deadlocked at 0-0 at halftime.
In an intensely played first half, both teams wound up with a combine three yellow cards and one red card. With just under nine minutes to play before halftime, junior forward Kristen Turner (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) was ejected from the game after earning her second yellow card, followed by a red card.
Due to the ejection, the Saints were forced to play with a man down throughout the remainder of the game.
The Lady Jaspers took full advantage of the opportunity at the 49:01 mark, when senior midfielder Brandy Luther (Pueblo, Colo.) scored the first goal of the game off an assist from teammate Mikaela Coni (Oceanside, N.Y.), to put the Jaspers up 1-0.
At the 68:28 mark, junior midfielder Erinn Flaherty (Clifton Park, N.Y.) tied the game at 1-1. Flaherty took the initial pass at midfield from forward Susie Blaisdell (Exeter, N.H.) and drove past the defense, enabling her to take a shot and blow the ball past goalkeeper Alicia DeFino (Mineola, N.Y.).
It was Hopkins who proved to be the x-factor for the Saints when she sealed the victory for the green and gold with just three minutes remaining in the game. Hopkins passed by the defense and took a blazing shot on the right flank, which swept across the net past DeFino, making the score 2-1. The Saints defense held their ground for the remainder of play, as the Lady Jaspers valiantly tried to tie the game, but to no avail.
The Saints next travel to Lawrenceville, NJ to face conference rival Rider on Friday, September 30th. Game time is slated for 3:00 pm. The next home game for the Saints will be on Wednesday October 5th, as the Vermont Catamounts head into Loudonville.
