WORCESTER --
Taylor Bovardi (Boxford, MA) netted the only goal of the game in the 79th minute to lift visiting Union to a 1-0 triumph over WPI on a rainy Tuesday afternoon on H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium.
The game was the season-opener for both teams and snapped a 13-game opening-day winning streak for the Engineers.
WPI and Union traded pressure throughout the opening half, with the Engineers holding a 7-6 advantage in shots. Union controlled the early portion of the contest, generating four corner kicks in the first six minutes and putting pressure on the WPI defense. The Engineers gradually settled in, however, and the momentum shifted late in the half. WPI registered five shots over the final 15 minutes, including two saves by Union goalkeeper
Maya Koster (Farmington, CT), but neither team was able to break through.
WPI goalkeeper
Ayla Verheul (Naarden, The Netherlands) kept the Engineers level early in the second half, turning aside shots by
Janalyn Weber (Berlin, CT) and
Kayla Coviello (Somers, NY) in the opening minutes. The Engineers continued to battle and generated several opportunities of their own, including blocked attempts by
Madisen McLeod (Ledyard, CT) and
Sarah Frye (Nashua, NH) and a pair of shots that went high.
Union finally broke through at 78:02.
Hannah Sams (Farmington, CT) played a long through ball ahead to Bovardi, who slotted the shot into the bottom-right corner to give the Garnet Chargers a 1-0 lead.
Verheul kept WPI within striking distance, making two more saves on Sams in the final 15 minutes, but the Engineers were unable to find the equalizer as Union protected its one-goal advantage through the final whistle.
Verheul finished with six saves for WPI, while Koster made two stops for Union. Union held a 14-11 edge in shots, while the Garnet Chargers also finished with a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks. McLeod,
Caetlyn Embree (Sherborn, MA) and rookie
Emily Ploscowe (Cincinnati, OH) tied for team-high honors with two shots apiece.
Both teams return to action on Saturday. WPI begins a two-day trip to Central New York, squaring off with Ithaca on Saturday before tangling with Cortland on Sunday. Both matches kick off at noon. Union returns to Massachusetts on Saturday, venturing to Babson for a 1pm matchup.
