CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Freshman Emily Smith (Oxford, NY) capitalized on a late opportunity to lift visiting Fisher College (1-0-0) to a 1-0 victory over Pine Manor (0-3-0) on Saturday afternoon at Hedley Field in Chestnut Hill, MA.
It was the first win for Head Coach Bill Maddock who enters his second season at the helm. "It took a little longer than I wanted, but I am glad to get the first win out of the way. I can't give enough credit to the girls. Our offense created quality chances and our defense left it all out on the field. Andrea Martucci was unbelievable today she constantly shut down their biggest scoring threats."
With the game deadlocked 0-0 through the first 78 minutes of play, Smith found the net during a late flurry in the Pine Manor penalty area, capitalizing on a ball of the cross bar that found the freshman in enough space to bury the game winner.
Just moments before Smith scored, Pine Manor goalkeeper Natasha Kopystynsky (Johnsburg, IL) made a full extension save to tip a shot by Fisher's Ashley De Sousa (Hazlet, NJ) off the cross bar. The redirection bounced off the bar and found its way to Smith who collected the loose ball and found the top corner of the Gator net. De Sousa finished the day with 12 shots as she was a constant threat to the Pine Manor backline.
The Falcons outshot the Gators 20-9 on the day and finished with a 15-2 advantage in corner kicks. Fisher goalkeeper Jessica Russo (Weymouth, MA) made 6 saves to record her first career victory. Kopystynsky made nine saves on the afternoon including several in the second half to keep the score tied at 0-0. Pine Manor failed to score on several high quality opportunities, none more so than in the 58th minute when freshmen Sybil Lynch (Hoboken, NJ) and Rachel Sanchez (Hyde Park, MA) missed on a breakaway opportunity.
Fisher will be on the road again tomorrow, as they will travel to face Vermont Tech. at 1:00 p.m. The Falcons fell to Vermont Tech 3-1 last season. Pine Manor will next play on Thursday when the Gators travel to Nashua, NH to take on Daniel Webster at 4:00 p.m. Daniel Webster came away with a 1-0 victory in the first matchup between the two teams this season.