Women’s Soccer Wins Regular Season Finale
Lady Cougars Finish Atop Regional Standings
(Holyoke, MA & Fall River, MA) - The Lady Cougars closed out their regular season with a decisive home victory on Sunday, one day after losing to a regional opponent for just the second time in eight years. Holyoke unleashed a fury of offense on local rival Springfield Technical CC on Sunday, earning a 7-0 shutout. On Saturday, the Cougars lost an away game to Bristol CC by a 2-1 score. Holyoke and Bristol sit tied atop the New England standings, each with a 9-1-0 regional record. The Cougars are currently ahead based on the tiebreaker, determined by results against common opponents, but await Bristol's regular season finale to see who will be seeded as the top team in the regional standings.
Co-Captain Karina Little (Amherst, MA / Amherst Regional HS) led the way for Holyoke in Sunday's win, tallying a pair of goals and adding an assist. Sophomore Chloe Pandoli (Southampton, MA / Hampshire Regional HS) scored her first goal of the season versus STCC with a brilliant header off of a corner kick. Pandoli played one of her best games in a Cougar uniform on Saturday, despite the team's unfortunate loss. Kayla La Fortune (Holyoke, MA / Holyoke HS) had a goal in each game while adding an assist on Sunday. Steph Robert (Monson, MA / Monson HS) and Olivia McGrail (Ware, MA / Ware HS) each scored her first goal of the year on Sunday with McGrail adding a helper. Co-Captain Gabby Petlock (Southampton, MA / Smith Vocational HS) opened the scoring against STCC and Mary Glasheen (Holyoke, MA / Holyoke HS) registered a pair of assists in the contest. Goalkeeper Hannah Garon (Monson, MA / Monson HS) earned the shutout on Sunday, her and the team's eighth of the season.
The Lady Cougars finish the regular season with an overall record of 9-5-2. They are 9-1-0 in the New England region and 9-3-1 in NJCAA Division III. Holyoke will host the New England Championship Tournament on October 26th and 27th with the semifinal matchups still to be determined. There will be a pair of semifinals played on Saturday at 11am and 1:30pm with the winners of those semifinals meeting in the New England championship game on Sunday at 1pm. Let's go Cougars!!
Photos: (Main) Kari Little looks for a teammate to pass to during an early season game. (Thumbnail) Chloe Pandoli serves in a cross during a recent home game.
