Lady Mariners early tally sinks Eagles

(October 11, 2009) - Poultney, VT - A goal by Alexis Bennett (Freedom, ME) in the 8th minute was all the visiting Mariners of Maine Maritime Academy would need to secure an important North Atlantic Conference victory over the host Green Mountain College Eagles in women's soccer action Sunday afternoon. The Mariners run their record to 7-6 overall and hold a 2-2 mark in conference play while the Eagles fall to 3-7-1 (2-2-1, NAC).

The match was bogged down in the opening minutes as both sides struggled to gain any sustained possession through the middle third of the park. The Mariners, however, were able to break through when Bennett burst through several GMC defenders and beat Eagle net-minder Karen Davidson (Seymour, CT) for the opening tally.

The Mariners continued to look dangerous through the first half, but GMC came close on several occasions. Freshman Bryanna Astor (Milltown, NJ) collected a ball from Erin Burch (Lebanon, CT) behind the her defender, forcing Mariner goalkeeper Lacey Jackson (York, PA) into an important save to preserve their advantage.

As the game opened up in the final 45 minutes, both sides recorded several quality chances, but it wasn't until the 86th minute when Diana Manatt-Rogers (Conway, MA) found the back of the net for Maine Maritime to seal the victory. The ball was served low across the GMC box off a corner kick and Rodgers was quick to react, poking the ball through a crowd and past Davidson.