On Wednesday, the New Haven Chargers hosted the Franklin Pierce University (FPU) Ravens as their Family Day opponent. With an overtime score, the Chargers won 1-0.
“The stadium was packed with all of our family and friends so we were all excited to get out there and put on a show,” said junior forward Erin Smith.
“This was also our first conference game of the season so there were already high expectations going into this game,” said Smith. “We want to be a force in our conference this year and winning this game has heightened that.”
In the first quarter, the Chargers and Ravens had a series of fouls within the first nine minutes of the game before the Chargers attempted their first shot at goal. Forward Kat Trammel took the first attempt but couldn’t make it past the Ravens goalkeeper Zoe Noorlag. Midfield Sophia Ruh also took an attempt, but it was saved by Noorlag. Franklin Pierce continued to stand their ground defensively, blocking another attempted shot by Trammel followed by Noorlag’s third save of the game after Smith attempted another shot on goal.
In the second quarter, the Ravens took an offensive charge against New Haven’s goalkeeper, Cara Lambert. Franklin Pierce’s Rebecca Phillips took the first shot of the game for the Ravens but couldn’t touch the back of the cage. Nearing the end of the quarter, Raven’s Sage Clukey made an attempt, but the shot was high. Following was FPU’s Abigail Tarka with back-to-back shots, both denied by Lambert. New Haven finished the quarter with an attempt from defender Eliza Caven, but the shot was also high.
Heading into the second half, New Haven had five shot attempts countered to four from Franklin Pierce. The Chargers tallied 22 fouls as the Ravens followed with 17 of their own. Lambert and Noorlag both stood at three saves.
In the third quarter, both teams had a series of fouls leading to a penalty kick by defender Kelli Jacobson which was saved by Noorlag. Seconds later, Smith took another attempt on goal but couldn’t reach the back of the net. FPU’s defense consecutively blocked shots from midfield Johannah Lee and Trammel. In the final regular quarter, the Ravens came in fast with a shot from Caity Hazley which was blocked by the Chargers defense. New Haven had two shot attempts, both of which were wide. FPU’s Phillips took both shot attempts for the Ravens which were saved by Lambert.
“The whole game we were dominating in our offense we just needed to finish,” said Smith. “Even though we don’t necessarily want to go into overtime, we didn’t let that affect our mindset and we stayed connected and composed.”
After 60 minutes of play, the Ravens and Chargers stood at 0-0, leading them into overtime. Two Chargers took shot attempts before Smith collected a forward pass and shot to the opposite post, securing the win for New Haven.
New Haven finished the game with 14 attempted shots, six on goal, while FPU trailed with seven shots and five on goal. The Chargers had three corner kicks and Lambert tallied five saves at goal. New Haven had a striking 42 fouls compared to FPU’s 35.
“We need to continue maintaining our high energy and connection on the field,” said Smith. “We have tough teams coming up as we get into the depth of conference play so this is the time we need to lean on each other.”
The Chargers stand 2-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play after the win over Franklin Pierce. New Haven will take the field again on Monday against the Saint Thomas Aquinas College. The game is set for 7 p.m. at the Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
