Fleming Leads the Charge Over Saint Anselm

The+New+Haven+womens+soccer+team+celebrates+after+a+goal+against+Saint+Anselm%2C+West+Haven%2C+Sept.+24%2C+2022.+

Photo courtesy of Charger Bulletin/Tyler Rodriguez.

The New Haven women’s soccer team celebrates after a goal against Saint Anselm, West Haven, Sept. 24, 2022.

The New Haven women’s soccer team again found themselves in the win column on Saturday afternoon at Kathy Zolad Stadium in a crucial conference matchup with the Saint Anselm Hawks. The Chargers were able to erase their one-goal deficit from the first half with consecutive goals halfway through the second to take a 3-2 lead, which would hold for the rest of the game. New Haven has climbed their way back to .500, looking to extend their two-game win streak next week.

The Chargers would strike first this match with a goal by Vickie Fleming to the low right corner, beating opposing goalkeeper Emma Hudson. After ending their scoreless streak against Pace last Wednesday, it looked like a promising start for New Haven. Saint Anselm would answer back, however, scoring two goals in the final minutes of the first half. Within three minutes of play, New Haven saw their one-goal lead turn into a deficit entering the second half.

The second half was dominated by New Haven who held control of the ball for the majority of the half. The Chargers kept constant pressure on the Hawks, throwing the ball to the net and generating plenty of scoring chances. Saint Anselm still found themselves up by one through all the pressure, but New Haven started making a comeback.

The Chargers were able to tie the game at two in the 73rd minute with Fleming’s second goal of the game—sneaking the ball past Hudson in the low left corner—assisted by Elizabeth Anderson. Just 42 seconds after scoring the game-tying goal came the go-ahead score off the foot of Madison Blonde, sending the crowd into a frenzy and giving the Chargers a 3-2 lead.

New Haven would make this lead stand until the end, bringing them to 4-4-2 (2-3 NE10) on the season. The Chargers will hit the road for their next matchup against Southern Connecticut State University on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Jess Dow Field. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. as the Chargers look to grow their win streak. More information can be found at NewHavenChargers.com.