Blue Just Short in 2-1 Loss to the University of New England

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Alex Lenart (Princeton Junction, N.J.) scored her sixth goal of the season, but two first quarter goals for the University of New England was enough for a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night at Butler Stadium.

The Blue finished with four total shots on goal, including two from junior Amy Kate Williams (Greenville, S.C.). Goalkeeper Kyra Deehr-Lewis (Newtown, Pa.) recorded four saves for the Blue. Lenart netted the only goal for Wellesley, which came late in the second quarter.

The Nor'easters came out storming in the first quarter, scoring two consecutive goals. The first came off a penalty corner and was scored by Julia Steeves (Skowhegan, Maine) at the 4:21 mark. Kate Lindmark (Norfolk, Mass.) was credited with the assist, her second of the year. Just three minutes later, first year Madi Robito (Pelham, N.H.) tacked on the second goal off an assist from Bailey Lynch (Upton, Mass.) and gave UNE a commanding 2-0 lead.

With Wellesley trailing late in the first half, Lenart stepped up big and scored her sixth goal of the year. Lenart was set up off a nice pass from Penny Juarez (Los Angeles, Calif.) who earned her first collegiate assist. The Blue would head into halftime trailing 2-1.

The third period was a battle of defense, with just a total of three shots taken. The Nor'easters came close to adding a third goal on a shot by Lindsay Bruns (Belfast, Maine) but she missed just wide. Midway through the fourth and final quarter, the Blue earned a penalty corner and sent Lenart to pass it in, but could not get a shot off. The Blue had a hard time finding another scoring opportunity until just over a minute to play. Within 14 seconds, UNE had a green card and a yellow card, leaving Wellesley with 11 players on the field and just nine for New England. However, the shorthanded Nor'easters stayed strong on defense and came away with the 2-1 victory.

Wellesley remains home for an early morning match with WPI on Saturday, October 2, at 11:00 AM. The University of New England gets back to CCC play on Saturday, October 2, as the team hosts Roger Williams at noon.