Ben Martin – Sports Writer
Bradley Robidoux – Contributor
On senior day a.k.a. “Julia Alicea Day,” the women’s soccer team captured a 2-0 shutout win for their lone senior on the team.
“It’s been a lot of emotions, a lot of really happy emotions,” Alicea said. “My team came together and did a lot for me.”
Along with feeling honored on her senior day, Alicea felt good about being able to contribute to one of her team’s points. Her contribution came toward the end of the first half with the Owls already up 1-0.
The Owls’ offense was on fire in the first half. In the first 15 minutes, Graduate Student and Forward Kelsey Burr scored a goal with the help of her teammate, Graduate Student Kaitlyn D’Amico.
Alicea notched an assist in this contest with a pass to Forward Kat Mancinone, a sophomore, who scored the second goal in the contest.
Burr’s goal started with Forward Kylee Slavik, a sophomore, streaking down the sideline all the way to the corner. In the corner, Slavik sent a pass across the middle of the field to Midfielder Katilyn D’amico, a senior, who then passed it to Burr to score.
“I’m really happy,” Owls’ Goalkeeper Abby Allen, a graduate student, said. “Our team played super well to get two goals early on in the first half really helped secure the win right away.”
Along with the goals, Allen continued her dominance adding another shutout to her resume. The shutout came with five saves for Allen to add to extend her season total to 76 and increase her shutout total to seven.
Allen’s first save of the afternoon was a big one for the Owls. The Owls were up 1-0 and the Falcons were driving down the sideline. After advancing the ball up the sideline on a series of passes, the falcons threaded the needle on a pass in front of Back Riley Ayer, a junior.
After passing Ayer, a shot came from the side of the box which Allen laid out for and she stretched out her hands and just barely saved it keeping the score 1-0 just over 26 minutes left in the first half.
Although the game was all about Alicea, it was a showing of the Owls’ strengths as a team.
“I think we played really well today as unit,” Alicea said. “Everything that we have been working toward as a team is starting to show.”
Owls’ Head Coach Adam Cohen was happy with what he saw out of his team today; however, he thinks that the Owls have more in them.
“I think we want to keep executing through midfield and in the final third and get the defending right,” Cohen said. Allen believes that the Owls need to fight regardless of what the score is at the time.
“We just need to keep pushing,” Alicea said. “Keep playing the way that we did today, and we are going to make it far in the tournament and hopefully even past the NE10s.”
