On Monday, the New Haven Chargers hosted Saint Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) in their second conference game of the season. The Chargers defeated the Spartans, 5-1.
Midfield Paige Garrett, scored her first goal of the season and was one of five Chargers who scored against the Spartans.
“I definitely felt the influence of my team’s high energy that night,” said Garrett. “I feed off other people’s energy, whether it’s the girls on the field, bench or spectators. Their energy pushes me to work harder in the game and not leave the field with any regrets.”
In the first quarter, the Chargers came off strong offensively with the first attempted shot just two minutes into the game by midfield Sophia Ruh. Unable to reach the back of the cage, STAC’s goalkeeper Madeline Schaefer had her first save of the game. Garrett also made an attempt, but the shot was wide. Shortly after, forward Erin Smith put the Chargers at a 1-0 advantage after an assist from Garrett. In the remainder of the first quarter, both the Chargers and Spartans had a series of fouls.
In the second quarter, New Haven kept their lead rolling with goals by three other Chargers. With New Haven’s possession of the ball, forward Johannah Lee scored her first goal of the season with a backhand shot off the backboard. Nearly two minutes later, forward Kat Trammel scored a shot just inside the arc after a forward assist from Smith. The Spartans Nicola Van Vuuren took an attempt but couldn’t get past the Charger’s goalkeeper Cara Lambert. Lee took another attempt at goal but was blocked by STAC’s defense. Nearing the end of the quarter, forward Sydney Moda scored off an assist from Smith in the front of the cage.
At halftime, New Haven led the game 4-0. The Chargers had taken seven shot attempts compared to STAC’s four. The Chargers tallied 21 fouls while the Spartans had 15.
In the third quarter, the Spartans Phileine Langeveld scored the first and only goal for STAC off a pass in front of the cage from Van Vuuren. Lee was the only Charger to take an attempted shot but was again blocked by the Spartans defense.
In the fourth quarter, Moda made an early attempt, but the shot was wide. Lambert had another save after an attempt from Van Vuuren. Trammel and defense Eliza Caven both took shots at goal but couldn’t make it past the Spartans goalkeeper Alisa Ogilvie. Garrett scored the final goal of the game, her first of the season, after a penalty stroke with only three minutes remaining.
“I think the biggest thing the team needs is to just continue believing in themselves and each other,” said Garrett. “The NE10 is a competitive conference; it can be anyone’s game any day, but it all starts with believing and trusting in yourself, your teammates, and your coaches.”
New Haven finished the game with 13 attempted shots while STAC had 12 of their own, both teams had eight shots on goal. The Chargers tallied 37 fouls compared to 28 from the Spartans. After 60 minutes of play, Lambert had seven saves, while Schaefer and Ogilvie had three between them.
After the big win against STAC, the Chargers faced the East Stroudsburg University Warriors and lost, 5-0. New Haven was unable to take any shot attempts against the East Stroudsburg’s defense while the Warriors took a striking total of 30 attempts, 18 of which were on goal. The Warrior’s Minke Klijn and Jessica Seidel led the team with two goals each, followed by Allyson Forman with a single goal. New Haven’s goalkeepers Rae Kline and Cara Lambert tallied 12 saves between them.
After the team’s win and loss, the Chargers now stand 3-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play. New Haven will be back in action at 7 p.m. on Tuesday as they host the Assumption University Greyhounds. The game will be held at the Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
