BOSTON, Mass. – Junior midfielder Molly Masiero (Richmond, Mass.) tallied a goal and added an assist to lead the Lasell College women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over host Simmons College this evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest on Winsor Field in Boston, Mass. The Lasers improve to 6-4-0 overall and a perfect 4-0-0 in league play, while the Sharks fall to 3-5-2 and 2-2-0.
Simmons controlled the first half with a 13-2 shot advantage, but was unable to find the back of the net as first year keeper Sarah LaClair (Belchertown, Mass.) made three saves for Lasell. Junior midfielder Ali Berkman (Natick, Mass.) fired a shot off the crossbar in the 21st minutes for the Sharks for their best scoring chance of the opening period. Both teams went into the intermission without a score.
The Lasers cracked the scoring column at 57:08 of the second half when Masiero sent a cross in front of the net to junior midfielder Elizabeth Qua (Saint Albans, Vt.), who connected for her first tally of the year on a one-timer, from five yards out, that slipped over the Simmons' keeper. Lasell increased its lead to 2-0 when Masiero collected a loose ball near the top of the box, and fired a shot from the left side just over hands of the Sharks' goalie with 5:26 remaining in the second half. The marker was also the first of the year for Masiero.
Simmons cut the deficit in half when junior midfielder Alexis Eusebio (Dartmouth, Mass.) served a cross off a corner kick into the box, where Berkman leaped in the air for a header that resulted in her second goal of the year. She directed the serve into the left corner with just 2:04 left in the match to make it 2-1.
LaClair was outstanding in net for the Lasers, stopping seven shots, while junior keeper Briana Hayes (Manorville, N.Y.) made four saves for the Sharks.
Simmons returns to action on Saturday, October 4 when it hosts GNAC foe Johnson & Wales University for a 1:00 p.m. tilt, while Lasell hosts Albertus Magnus College on the same day at 2:30 p.m.