The women's soccer team flew to Illinois on Friday, September 20 to take on Wheaton and Carthage. The Dutchwomen dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to the unbeaten Wheaton Thunder (5-0-2) before handing Carthage (6-1-1) its first loss of the season, 3-0. Senior goaltender Carolyn Stead (Portland, ME/Deering High) picked up her 21st career shutout. She has allowed just 24 career goals with 143 saves in her 41-games as the Dutchwomen's top keeper. Stead's efforts earned her the UCAA's “Goaltender of the Week” honors.
Wheaton took a 1-0 lead at 42:14 when Erin Wingerter broke free of Union's vaunted defense and beat Stead in a one-on-one situation. The hosts made it 2-0 at 68:27 before Brittany Cressman took a short lob pass from Brianna Bailey and fired a shot into the right corner at 84:35. The Dutchwomen applied constant pressure for the remainder of the game but could not come up with the equalizer.
Bailey, Stephanie Mole' and Corrinne Hennessey made the flight home easier to take as they each scored an unassisted goal against Carthage. Stead was forced to make just two saves as Union finished the game with an 11-3 shot advantage, including a 9-2 shot-on-goal effort.
Union, which opens UCAA play at Rensselaer Friday night at 7 p.m. (please see schedule change below), is 4-2. All four victories have been by shutout while both losses were by one
goal.
Cressman, a sophomore forward from Duxbury, Massachusetts, was named the UCAA “Player of the Week” after scoring
two goals and adding one assist in a 6-0 win over Russell Sage. She also recorded the lone
goal in Union's 2-1 loss at Wheaton College (ILL). Cressman, who had nine goals, five assists, and 23 points last season, holds the early lead on the Dutchwomen's scoring chart with nine points on four goals and an assist.
SCHEDULE CHANGE–The women's soccer match at RPI, originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m., has been moved to Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. The game at Vassar originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. will be played Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m.