Women’s Soccer Open 2024 Season With Heartbreaker
NORTH ADAMS, Mass.—The MCLA Women's Soccer team kicked off their 2024 season with a loss at home to the Dean College Bulldogs. Catelyn Hodge notched her first collegiate goal to give the Trailblazers an early lead, but Kara Murphy scored a second-half equalizer, and Lisette Ayala put the Bulldogs ahead with less than 70 seconds on the clock.
THE BASICS:
- Date: Friday, August 30, 2024
- Score: Dean 2, MCLA 1
- Records: Dean College Bulldogs 1-0-0 (GNAC 0-0-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 0-1-0 (MASCAC 0-0-0)
- Series History: Dean leads the series 2-0-0 and won the previous matchup on September 1, 2023, by a score of 5-1.
HIGHLIGHTS
- First-year midfielder Catelyn Hodge (Schenectady, NY) tallied her first collegiate goal in the 23rd minute, putting MCLA up 1-0. Sophomore forward Addison Gates (Buskirk, NY) cleared a path for Hodge, who intercepted a failed clear attempt by a Bulldog defender. Hodge fired off a shot from about 20 yards out that sailed into the upper right corner of the goal. Hodge's marker was the only one for either team in the first half.
- Dean managed an equalizer in the 69th minute when Kara Murphy popped up a shot that looped over the MCLA keeper and landed just inside the goal. Lani Watkins was credited with an assist on the play.
- The teams continued to volley back and forth until Lisette Ayala scored the game-winner for the Bulldogs in the 89th minute. Jazlyn Estella lofted a pass ahead of Ayala, who managed to stay onside and got to the ball for a tap-in from about 12 yards out just before colliding with the MCLA keeper.
- Dean keeper Haley Gaunt stopped 11 of 12 shots on goal to pick up the win and advanced her record to 1-0-0 while the Trailblazers' keeper Mallory Amirian (Haverhill, MA) made eight saves on ten shots on net, but still saw her record fall to 0-1-0.
UP NEXT:
On Day, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Wentworth Institute of Technology for a non-conference matchup with the Leopards at Shewcraft Field. The teams will take the pitch for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff.