WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Hartford women's soccer team suffered its first defeat on Al-Marzook Field on Sunday, as it dropped a 2-0 decision to Vermont in America East action. Cricket Basa and Frances O'Donnell scored in the sixth and 87th minutes, respectively, to lead the Catamounts to their third straight win.
Hartford (7-3-2) falls to 2-2-2 in league action, while Vermont (6-5-1) improves to 3-2-0.
VERMONT 2, HARTFORD 0
After applying the pressure early, Vermont penetrated Hartford's defense and found the back of the net in the sixth minute. Alyssa Oviedo blasted a shot from the top of the box, but Hartford goalkeeper
Maia Perez was in place to make the leaping save. She was unable to corral the rebound, however, allowing Basa to track down the ball and easily score from close range.
Hartford had a chance to knot up the score less than 90 seconds later when sophomore
Imani Jenkins was brought down in the box. Jenkins took the honors on the penalty kick, but Vermont keeper Lydia Kessel made a diving save to her left to reject the equalizer. The Hawks possessed the ball for most of the remainder of the first, but were unable to manufacture a goal as they entered the halftime break trailing, 1-0.
The field continued to tilt in favor of the Hawks after intermission. Hartford put up nine shots during that stretch — including four on goal — but was unable to produce a legitimate scoring threat. The Catamounts were held without a shot by the Hawks' defense for the majority of the second stanza until the 87th minute, when Karen Wallace slotted a lateral pass to O'Donnell, who one-touched the insurance tally into the back of the net on a breakaway.
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES
- The Hawks entered the match with an unbeaten record of 4-0-1 on Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium
- Hartford held commanding advantages in shots (19-6) and corner kicks (6-1)
- Graduate student Saige Bingman led the Hawks' attack with five shot attempts, while Jenkins, sophomore Kelly Severini and classmate Chloe Layne each added three shots
- Kessel finished with five saves for the Catamounts, while Perez notched four in the losing effort
- Hartford, which was unbeaten in its past 10 meetings with Vermont with an 8-0-2 mark, falls to 29-6-5 in the all-time series
- The defeat marks the Hawks' first to the Catamounts since a 2-0 loss in Burlington in 2012
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks return to action on Thursday when they head to Lowell, Mass., to take on UMass Lowell. Kickoff from Cushing Field is set for 7 p.m.
For more information on the Hartford women's soccer team, stay with HartfordHawks.com for updates and follow the team on social media (
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