NEWTON, Mass. -- The Mount Ida women's soccer team snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Newbury Nighthawks 3-0 on a frigid night at Alumni Field. The Mustangs were led by a duo of freshman, Skylah Caruso (Plainville, Mass.) and Alyson Eldridge (Chesterfield, N.H.), who were constantly able to put pressure on the short-handed Nighthawks defense. With the win, the Mustangs move to 7-8 overall and remain at 3-7 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action, while Newbury falls to 2-13-1 overall and 1-4-1 in NECC play.
From the start it was clear the Mustangs were looking to put pressure and wear out the short-handed Newbury defense. Just a few minutes after her substitution into the game, Eldridge was able to put the ball past Nighthawks goalkeeper Noelle Sass (Randolph, Mass.). The first-half goal was an important one for the Mustangs as they have struggled offensively early in games. The rest of the first half would see the Mustangs put a number of shots on Sass, while Mount Ida keeper AnnaMarie Seiler (Biddeford, M.E.) was relatively untested, making only one save in the first half.
Second half action saw the Mustangs continue to up the offensive intensity, putting strain on the backline of the Newbury defense and forcing Sass to make five saves. Mount Ida was able to put another one on the board off the foot of Caruso on a terrific pass from freshman Shannon Kelley (Bellingham, Mass.). Just seven minutes later, Caruso would take on her second goal of the night, with the assist from senior Rachel Lambert (Lebanon, Conn.). For Caruso, it was her second game in a row with at least one goal scored, bringing her season total to four.
The Mustangs dominated offensively on the night, out-shooting the Nighthawks 26-6 and had a 5-0 advantage in cornerkicks. Seiler picked up her 6th win in goal this year for the Mustangs and moves to 6-4, while Sass took the Newbury loss and moves to 2-13-1 on the year.
Mount Ida returns to GNAC competition on Saturday for Senior Day as they host Simmons College at 7:00pm. Newbury will return home to face off against NECC foe Lesley on Saturday for a 1:00pm start.
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Founded in 1899, Mount Ida College is a small, private college in Newton, Massachusetts, providing career-focused programs built upon a strong foundation in the social sciences, humanities and the arts, all developed and implemented to prepare our approximately 1,450 students for success. The College is comprised of the School of Applied Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Design and the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, awarding associate, bachelor and master's degrees. www.mountida.edu