BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Oct. 4, 2017) – Led by the game-winning goal in the 85th minute of action from junior Haley Noble (Torrance, Calif./Torrance), the Mercy College women's soccer team earned a 1-0 victory over defending East Region and ECC Champions University of Bridgeport on Wednesday night at Knights Field.
The Mavericks (9-1, 3-0 ECC) have won seven games in a row and win at Bridgeport (4-5-2, 2-1-1 ECC) for the first time in program history.
Noble recorded her fourth goal of the season on a team-high four shots on goal, while sophomore Jessica Brandt (Folsom, Calif./Folsom) added three shots on goal. Freshman Melissa Torres (La Mirada, Calif./La Mirada) played the full 90 minutes in goal and made four saves to earn the win.
Maegen Doyle had a team-high two shots on goal for Bridgeport and goalkeeper Jennifer Wendelius made seven saves in a losing effort.
Mercy looked to continue their winning ways and pick up a win over a Purple Knights team that appeared in the Elite Eight a season ago. The Mavericks came out as the aggressors early with sophomore Ally Boots (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza) and Noble recording shots on goal in the first three minutes of action.
Brandt later hit the crossbar in the 26th minute and Noble forced Wendelius and the Purple Knights defense to make a save late in the half. However, the score remained 0-0 at halftime with Mercy holding a 10-4 edge in shots.
The second half saw the Mavericks continue to control the action with Mercy recording the first three shots of the period. The score remained 0-0 for most of the half and overtime looked like a distinct possibility for the two ECC contenders. Noble had other ideas when she put away a ball following a goal mouth scramble after a Brandt corner kick that put the Mavericks ahead 1-0 in the 85th minute.
The Mercy defense would hold the Purple Knights without a shot the rest of the way in giving the Mavericks the road win.
Mercy held a 19-8 edge in shots and a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Head Coach Jonathan Feinstein and the Mavericks look to make it eight wins in a row when they play at Daemen College on Saturday, October 7th at 11 a.m.
