NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team took care of business Friday night, defeating the Cadets of Norwich University by a final score of 1-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play at Celentano Field.
Haley Andrews (Prospect, Conn.) scored the lone goal for the Falcons, while Nicole Pracon (Derby, Conn.) had a perfect night in the net, recording her first-ever shutout and going 3-for-3 in saves in her third career start.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Albertus Magnus 1 | Norwich 0
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (10-5-0, 8-4-0 GNAC) | Norwich (3-10-0, 2-10-0 GNAC)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons controlled the action for much of the first half, reeling off nine shots to Norwich's two in the first 45 minutes. Of those nine shots, three were on target, with Andrews, Katherine Raposo (Warwick, R.I.), and Victoria Jainchill (Simsbury, Conn.) all putting one on frame. Still, the Norwich keeper, Kim Watt, denied the Falcons the score by turning away all three.
Despite holding the possession advantage in the first half, Albertus could not hang the first tally on the board and had to settle for a 0-0 tie heading into the halftime break.
The second half mirrored the first, as the Falcons remained on their front foot, reeling off four shots in the first 10 minutes. However, the Cadets' defensive unit was again ready for the attack, holding the hosts in check over the opening 10 minutes.
AMC went to a whole new level in the next 20 minutes of action, posting 14 shots between the 65th and 85th minutes. It was in this time frame that Albertus broke through for the first goal of the game. On a corner kick, Keegan Riccio (West Haven, Conn.) sent the ball right to Andrews, who stuck her foot up to sneak a shot past the goalie.
The Falcons' defense held firm for the final five minutes, denying the visitors the opportunity to take another shot and closed out the match to earn the 1-0 victory.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus: Nicole Pracon (W, 2-1): 11 Shots on Goal | 1 Goal-Against | 10 Saves
Norwich: Kim Watt (L, 3-8): 3 Shots on Goal | 0 Goals-Against | 3 Saves
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Albertus tallied the majority of the shots, out-shooting the Cadets by a 28-4 margin.
- The Falcons also won the corner kick battle, holding a 7-0 advantage.
- Both teams tallied six fouls on the night.
- Norwich made 10 saves to the Falcons' three.
NOTEWORTHY
- Pracon picked up her first career shutout.
- Andrews scored for the third consecutive game.
- Riccio earned her eighth assist of the season.
- Raposo, Andrews, and Jainchill each tallied multiple shots on goal.
- The Falcons' 10 wins on the season are the most since their 11-8-1 run in 2016.
UP NEXT
The women's soccer team returns to the field for its Senior Night and final regular-season home game of the 2021 campaign on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7 PM under the lights at Celentano Field against GNAC foe Simmons University.