BALTIMORE – In a thrilling America East Conference matchup at a rain-soaked Retriever Soccer Park, sophomore midfielder
Delainey Proctor delivered a standout performance, scoring the decisive game-winning goal and providing a crucial assist to propel the UMBC women's soccer team to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the visiting New Hampshire Wildcats.
UMBC (7-3-2, 1-1 AE) had several outstanding scoring chances in the opening half but could not capitalize. Freshman forward
Brooke Clagett made a great run in the sixth minute, spinning around a defender right in front of the net, but UNH netminder Sonja Zeepvat turned her low shot away. Junior defender
Gabby Larson nearly produced in the 29
th minute when she sent a rocket from the right corner of the box that just grazed off a defender and narrowly missed the upper left corner of the goal.
After controlling most of the stanza, the hosts trailed 1-0 at halftime after Madison Donati scored in the 31
st minute on the visitors' first quality scoring chance of the day. Elizabeth Finn earned the assist after playing a through ball to Donati just outside the top of the right corner of the box. Donati eluded a defender towards the middle of the box and beat UMBC junior goalkeeper
Amara Codd (two saves) from seven yards out.
The Retrievers drew even nine minutes into the second half as Clagett made a tremendous individual play along the right endline after a give-and-go with Proctor. Clagett beat her defender to the ball, cut back to the middle, and then beat Zeepvat (four saves) with a shot to the left corner while sliding to the ground. It was her team-leading fifth tally of the season.
Senior forward
Payton Schenning just missed with just over 33 minutes left, but her low shot from inside the box struck the far post after receiving a feed from midfielder
Emily Hiney.
Moments later, Proctor scored her second game-winning goal of the year in the 58
th minute. Sophomore defender
Olivia Nardone started the sequence, sending a cross from the left side into the box. The ball deflected to Proctor, who then fired a shot from 25 yards out that went right through Zeepvat's hands and into the right corner of the goal.
New Hampshire (3-5-2, 0-2 AE), playing down a player for the final twenty minutes after a red card, had one last chance, but Finn's rocket from 35 yards out sailed just over the center of the crossbar.
UMBC outshot the Wildcats 14-10.
The Retrievers travel to NJIT on Thursday evening.
