WORCESTER -- Springfield's Mia Salmon (Arlington, MA) recorded the contest's lone goal in the 38 minute to propel the visiting Pride to a 1-0 victory over WPI in a NEWMAC women's soccer matchup played Wednesday afternoon on H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium.
 
Springfield, sixth in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division III Region II rankings, improves to 7-3-4 overall and 4-2-2 in conference action while the eighth-ranked Engineers drop to 7-4-4 on the season and 4-2-2 in NEWMAC play.
 
The first half saw plenty of back-and-forth action, with WPI mostly controlling the ball on offense. The Crimson and Gray led in shots, 8-3, and held a slight edge in corner kicks, 2-1. The first chance of the game came from Katie Adiletta (Bolton, MA) who fired a strong left footed shot but was steered clear by Springfield goalkeeper Taryn Ryan (Holyoke, MA).
 
Despite the pressure, the Pride scored first at 38:00. A cross by Natalia Mottura (Scarsdale, NY) into the box was defected briefly off a defensive player and Springfield's Kayla McGrath (North Adams, MA), and was corralled by Salmon, who tapped the ball into the top left of the net for her sixth of the season.


During the second stanza, WPI saw multiple scoring opportunities, but its efforts fell short as the Pride defense held strong, keeping them off the scoreboard. The Engineers had a strong opportunity when Madisyn Bagby (Aurora, CO) delivered a well-placed corner kick into the box, where it deflected off several defenders before finding Rian Fadden (Leicester, MA). Fadden unleashed a powerful shot, but Ryan made a brilliant save, tipping the ball high over the bar at 67:09.
 
For the match, WPI held a 16-4 advantage in shots, including seven of the eight on frame, and enjoyed a 6-3 bulge in corners. Ryan racked up seven saves in net for the Pride while Lili Hellerman (Ashland, MA) went the whole 90 minutes in net for the Crimson and Gray.
 
WPI hosts the battle of the NEWMAC Engineers, welcoming MIT on Saturday at 7pm. Springfield returns home to face Wellesley in a conference affair at 1pm on Saturday.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25