Springfield, Mass. – October 26, 2024 – The Springfield College women's soccer team earned a 2-1 win over Wellesley College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on Saturday afternoon on Brock-Affleck Field.

Springfield, which has now won six straight matchups against Wellesley, improved to 8-3-4 overall and to 5-2-2 in NEWMAC play and will enter the final week of the regular season tied for second place in the league with 17 points. Wellesley dropped to 5-8-3, 1-6-2.

Jen Walker (Webster, Mass.) and Mia Salmon (Arlington, Va.) accounted for Springfield's offense in today's game. Walker's goal was her fifth of the season tying her career-high from a year ago, while Salmon's marker was her seventh of the year as she continues to lead the team in scoring.
 
Over 90 minutes, the Pride held a slim 9-8 edge in shots and a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks. Springfield keeper Taryn Ryan (Holyoke, Mass.) made a trio of saves to push her record to 7-3-3 between the pipes.

After a scoreless first half, Springfield was awarded a penalty kick just 6:06 into the second. Walker stepped to the dot and buried her shot giving the Pride a 1-0 lead. Walker is now 3-for-3 on penalty kicks this fall and the goal gave her a new single-season career-high 15 points.

Then with just under eight minutes to play, Salmon potted what proved to be the game-winning goal as she tapped in a short cross inside the box from Meredith Healy (Niantic, Conn.). Salmon, the top-scoring rookie in the league, ranks second in the NEWMAC in both goals (7) and points (17) only behind Natalie Barnow of MIT, who has eight goals and 19 points. Healy, meanwhile, ranks second in the NEWMAC with five assists this fall, one shy of tying her career-high from a season ago.

Wellesley got a goal back late in the match, but Springfield held off the Blue for the 2-1 victory.

Springfield heads into the final week of the regular season with a NEWMAC tilt at Babson College on Wednesday at 3:30 pm.

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