BIDDEFORD, Maine -- First-year Nicole Faircloth (Westfield, Mass.) scored the first goal of her career in the 55th minute to provide the University of New England with a 1-0 victory over Roger Williams University in The Commonwealth Coast Conference women's soccer action Tuesday afternoon.
Classmate Karina Scavo (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) set up the winning tally with a short pass backwards that Faircloth blasted on the first touch from 30 yards away and went into the net just over the goalkeeper's hands.
A header by junior Kristin Meza (San Diego, Calif.) off a corner kick 14 minutes later nearly doubled the UNE lead, but a diving stop by Hawks senior goalie Jen Garside (Londonderry, N.H.) kept the margin one.
For the game, Roger Williams held advantages in shots (11-4) and corners (4-1), but could not put one past senior Leigh Engel (Richmondville, N.Y.) who recorded seven saves for her fourth shutout in five games.
With the win, their ninth in-a-row, the Nor'easters (13-1, 10-1 TCCC) snapped a four-game losing streak to the Hawks.
Garside finished with two saves for Roger Williams (9-5-2, 7-3-1 TCCC), which hosts Curry College Saturday.
UNE will look to push the win streak to double digits the same day, when it travels to Nichols College for a 12 p.m. contest.
- Release courtesy of the University of New England Sports Information Department