WELLESLEY, Mass. – A late goal from sophomore Elena Garcia (Atlanta, Ga.) gave Wellesley College soccer a 1-0 victory in its home opener over UMass Boston on Wednesday afternoon.
In the 81st minute of a scoreless match, junior Emma Hogarth (Chandler, Ariz.) sent a ball across the box. Garcia redirected a header perfectly into the lower right corner of the goal and put the Blue (2-1-1) up 1-0. The Beacons (1-2-1) were unable to get onto the scoreboard in the final eight minutes as the Blue finished its third shutout in four games.
Blue sophomore Olivia Lore (Blue Bell, Pa.) was a brick wall in goal, stopping all 10 shots on goal. Sophomore Janiya Morales Matier (North Easton, Mass.) made nine saves for UMass Boston.
The first half saw both teams go on the attack, with the Blue tallying 11 shots and the Beacons nine. Wellesley kept the ball in the attacking half for most of the second, putting up 11 more shots while only allowing two.Â
Multiple Blue student-athletes, including junior Solveig Unterberdoerster (Washington, D.C.) and first-year Maya Fraser (Leverett, Mass.) had strong looks in the box for Wellesley, though Morales Matier made athletic efforts to keep the Beacons in the contest.
Wellesley remains home on Saturday, September 12 to matchup with Maine Maritime Academy at 1:00 PM. UMass Boston hosts WPI at noon on that same date.
