Southern New Hampshire University’s Women’s Soccer team advances to the semi-final round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships with a 2-0 blanking of No. 7 Bentley University Tuesday, October 31.
No. 2 Southern New Hampshire dominated action starting early in the first half. Senior Abigail Maker (Naples, Maine) kicked off the scoring in the eighth minute when she found a long ball from first-year Reanna Romano (Derry, New Hampshire). Maker raced Bentley goalkeeper Kat Hassapis for possession, but Maker won the battle as she head-butted the ball and collided with Hassapis. The ball had enough power on it to roll across the box and into the right side of the net to make the score 1-0.
The Penmen continued to dominate the field as the game continued, but were unable to score until the 86th minute when senior Trisha Luis (Lowell, Massachusetts) added an insurance goal off a bouncing ball in the box. She slowed the ball by flipping it up to herself before sending it high over Hassapis to make the score 2-0.
Maker’s goal was her fourth of the season and 11th of her Penmen career, while Luis found the back of the net for the ninth time this year and 24th time as a Penmen.
With the win, Southern New Hampshire University advances to their first semifinal round since 2012, the year in which the Penmen captured the NE-10 title, and will host sixth-seeded Assumption College, who upset No. 3 Saint Rose, at 4 p.m. on Friday at Larkin Field.
