Dupuis, Defense Hold Strong as Lancers Draw with Seahawks

Worcester, MA- It was a beautiful day for soccer on Wednesday afternoon as the Women's Soccer team traveled to Salve Regina for their first of five away games as they worked to gain their first win of the season in the out-of-conference matchup. 

The Lancers opened the game with possession and quickly moved to net for the first opportunity of the game. The ball moved slowly on the grass and 50/50 balls went back and forth between Lancer and Seahawk possessions throughout the half. Lancer center back first year Julianne Earnest (Columbia, CT) made vital tackles to keep Salve from getting many quality attempts off. First year Jess Forbes (Clinton, MA) and junior Raelyn Callahan (Pepperell, MA) both took off with the ball at their feet for breakaways from the midfield into the final third to get some quality opportunities on frame, but their attempts were near misses on their attempts. Salve outshot Worcester 10-5 in the first half but the game remained scoreless after solid defense presence from sophomore Mallory Dupuis (Leominster, MA). 

The Lancers looked to increase urgency in the second half as offensive attacks became more aggressive and defense locked in to shut any Seahawk opportunity down. Dupuis held her own in the net as she punched away multiple corner attempts to keep the game scoreless as the clock ticked down. Worcester State exploited the wings for a few cross opportunities but ultimately were unable to find the connection to put the ball past the Seahawks keeper. The game would ultimately end in a hotly contested tie as the defense for both teams made scoring impossible for the attackers. 

Dupuis ended the night with 10 saves, while the Lancers concluded the match with five solid attempts on goal. 

Worcester State (0-5-2, 0-2) will look to earn their first conference win on Saturday when they travel to Fitchburg for a 4pm start.