Wellesley Soccer Falls to Salve Regina, 3-1

NEWPORT, R.I. – Wellesley College soccer dropped a 3-1 NEWMAC decision to Salve Regina in its regular season finale on Saturday at Reynolds Field.

Sophomores Marissa Perach (Washington Depot, Conn.), Jessica Galante (Dover, N.H.) and Grace Hudson (Nahant, Mass.) each scored their first goals of the season to lift Salve Regina (5-7-5 overall, 3-7-1 NEWMAC) to victory in their season finale. 

Wellesley (3-7-5 overall, 2-5-4 NEWMAC) got a goal from junior Carrie Huang (Seattle, Wash.) that briefly cut a two-goal deficit in half late in the second half.

Perachi put the Seahawks ahead late in the first half, scoring off a corner kick with 1:05 left to play before the break. Sophomore Taylor Barnaby (Portsmouth, R.I.) took the corner and picked up the assist on the play. 

Salve Regina continued to lead late into the second half, eventually taking a two-goal advantage when Galante sliced a free kick into the upper corner of the Wellesley goal from outside the top of the penalty area at 75:39. Huang got the goal back for the Blue just under ten minutes later, capitalizing on a bouncing ball in the box that went off a Salve Regina defender to make the score 2-1.

Wellesley made a late push to tie the contest but Salve Regina found space in the final minutes of the game, as first year Olivia Tacconi (Waldwick, N.J. ) set-up Hudson with just under two and a half minutes left to put the contest out of reach, 3-1.

First year goalkeeper Sabrina Lawless (Milford, Conn.) made four saves on five Wellesley shots on goal to earn the win for Salve Regina. Sophomore goalkeepers Sascha Fleesler (New York, N.Y.) and Riley McNair (Cupertino, Calif.) combined to make six saves in the Wellesley goal.