Schnopp's Late Goal Sparks Warriors Over Saint Mike's, 1-0
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Junior midfielder Jordan Schnopp (Dalton, Mass.) scored the game's lone goal midway through the second half, lifting the Merrimack women's soccer team to a 1-0 blanking on the road against Saint Michael's College, snapping a three-game losing streak in Northeast-10 Conference action on Tuesday afternoon in Colchester, Vt.
The Warriors improve to 9-6 overall and 7-5 in NE-10 action, while the Purple Knights sink to 2-10-2 overall and 2-8-2 within league play.
Neither side managed to score in the first 45 minutes of regulation, but with less than 15 minutes to play, Schnopp came up with a loose ball from about 25 yards out and ripped it into the upper-left corner of the net, and the Warrior defense held on from there to emerge victorious.
"I'm happy to get the win today," head coach Gabe Mejail said afterward. "It feels like a month since our last victory, and hopefully this'll push us into a good stretch as we close out the regular season and try to move up in the standings."
The Warriors attempted four shots in the first half, but Saint Mike's goalkeeper Aubrey Ouellet posted two saves in the frame – and three overall – to keep the visitors at bay. Merrimack junior Nicole Curtis (Billerica, Mass.), meanwhile, notched one save in a winning effort.
In a defensive-minded game, both teams kept scoring chances to a minimum, and that theme rang true throughout most of the second half. But finally, in the 77th minute, Schnopp came up big when her team needed her most, scoring her first marker of the season that proved to be the game-winner.
In total, Merrimack outshot the Purple Knights by a 10-4 margin, landing four on net. The visitors owned an 8-2 edge in corner kicks, while both sides combined for 21 fouls.
Next up, the Warriors return home to face Adelphi on Saturday, Oct. 20, during which Mejail and the entire Merrimack Athletics Department will honor the nine-member senior class before first kick at 6 p.m.
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