STANDISH, Maine – University of New England (1-0-0) blanked Saint Joseph's College (0-1-0), 2-0, in a non-conference women's soccer contest at the SJC Athletics Complex on a rainy Wednesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The 2021 season opener, plagued by steady rain from start to finish, saw few scoring opportunities in the first half until sophomore Olivia King (Milton, Vt.) netted what proved to be the game-winner with 48 seconds left in the opening frame. SJC senior keeper Adia Grogan (Kennebunk, Maine) made a nice save on a shot by junior Marie Hoehner (Newmarket, N.H.), but King managed to corral the rebound in the goalmouth and buried a shot to the right corner.

Saint Joseph's had several opportunities to tie the game, including a Madison Michaud (Presque Isle, Maine) shot that clanked high off the right post in the 55th minute, but the Nor'easters managed to double their lead in the 76th minute when freshman Morgan Diefenbach (Lancaster, Mass.) hit pay dirt off a Bella Reil (Berwick, Maine) pass.

THE KEEPERS:

Grogan played well in the setback with seven stops on nine shots while her counterpart, UNE netminder junior Sydney Gillingham (Standish, Maine), turned away five attempts in a shutout performance.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (16-11) while UNE posted a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal and a 6-4 edge in corner kicks on the evening.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 1-5-1 all-time versus the University of New England.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's kicks off Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Saturday with a 3:00 PM contest at Norwich University.

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