NEW LONDON, Conn. –
In the battle of the Bears in the final game of the season, Coast Guard fell by a score of 4-1. The game marks the end of the season for both squads. Smith College finishes the season at 1-13-3 (1-8-2 NEWMAC). Coast Guard concludes the year with a record of 2-9-6 (0-7-4 NEWMAC).
After two early
Julia Little saves, Smith broke through on their third shot on goal in the 11th minute with an
Amelia Dion (Burlington, Vt.). Five minutes later, it was Dion again supplying the damage with a goal right after an outstanding save by Little. Just after that second goal,
Lulu Vlases nearly got one back for CGA with a strike at goal that was saved.
Over the next 10 minutes, the high-octane play continued with eight more shots from Smith and four from Coast Guard before again it was Smith who broke through with their third goal of the half.
Despite more chances on both sides, the game went to half with Smith up 3-0 in score and 13-7 in shots (11-5 on goal).
Six minutes into the second, the Bears got their first strong chance to chip away at the deficit when
Katelyn Mankewich (Scituate, Mass.) sent a shot at the goal that nicked off the post and out of play. In the 10 minutes after the Mankewich shot, the Bears got three more shots on goal from
Kaela Hoss (Old Lyme, Conn),
Mallory Sultan (Ashburn, Va.), and
Ella Pottle (Epping, N.H.), all of which were saved.
As the game clock ticked under 30 to go, CGA kept peppering the goal, with a
Mary Arengo shot that hit the ground, the keeper, and the crossbar, pin balling around and somehow not going in. After Vlases and
Anabelle Pezzullo sent two more shots at the net,
Ella Pottle finally broke the scoreless streak for the Bears with a 63rd minute goal on the 16th shot of the day by the team.
The game remained scoreless for the next 10 minutes but with 16 to go in the action, the Bears were centimeters away from a one-score game when
Ellie Millner (Woodbridge, Va.) sent a ball at goal that crashed off of the cross bar.
With six minutes to go, Smith delivered the dagger with a fourth goal on a penalty kick. They were able to ride out the final six for a 4-1 victory.
The end of the season marks the end of the career for seven Coast Guard Bears: seniors
Emma Acker (Springfield, Va.),
Celia Bertrand (Ashland, Ore.),
Julia Little (Pensacola, Fla.),
Anabelle Pezzullo (Ashaway, R.I.),
Lulu Vlases (Bozeman, Mont.), and
Meren Zeliger (Farmington, Maine), along with junior West Point exchanger
Mary Arengo (Cincinnati, Ohio) who played stellar ball for the Bears in her semester in New London.
The end of the season also marks the culmination of an exceptional feat by junior
Mallory Sultan, who earned the distinction of playing every second of all 17 games, for a total of 1530 minutes.
Sultan pictured above (Hannah Arribas)
