The Patriots lost to the homeside Windham Eagles 4-0 Monday night. This was a tough battle for both teams where it looked more like the score would be 2-1 not 4-0.
The Patriots looked a little shaky in the first ten minutes of the game, giving up two goals in that time. The first goal for the Eagles came just over five minutes in when a free kick that came from the right side of the field, bounced around the box and found a wide open attacker inside the six yard box by the far post. The second goal came from a rocket of a shot when number nine found some space at the top of the eighteen. Ivy Abrams stepped back and made a high diving attempt to save it, got her fingertips to the ball, but not enough to change its course.
After the first ten minutes the Patriots began settling in, really limiting the Eagles’ opportunities while creating several of their own. The game became much more back and forth over the next seventy minutes. Some of the biggest and best plays of the game came from Ivy who made save after save. She stopped several breakaways, including one that was rocketed off her thigh as she came out for the ball. She also took a beating as she came diving out on the ball leading to some collisions and even being kicked.
Despite the intensity and effort, a goal never came for the Patriots. As the final minutes of the game came, the fatigue began to set in a little. The third and fourth goals of the game came in with six minutes left and twenty-one seconds left. The third goal came off a fantastic save by Ivy that led to a rebound shot. The final goal came on a breakaway one on one situation.
Both teams played a fantastic game. The Patriots defensive three, Amber Fortin, Hannah Joyce, and Lydia Pinard were dominant in stopping threatening opportunities, while Sarah Fecteau and Emma West wreaked havoc on the wings.
The Patriots drop to 3-4 with the loss. They will look to bounce back when they travel to Lake Region Friday October 23rd to take on the Lakers for the second time this season. JV will play first at 4:15 with Varsity following at 6:00pm.