WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross women's soccer team was upended 2-1 Wednesday evening by nonconference opponent Maine in a packed Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium that saw numerous athletes support their fellow Crusaders.

The setback keeps the Crusaders (0-3-2) searching for their first victory while the Black Bears improve to 3-0-1 overall following the chippy and physical affair.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Maine opened up the scoring 7:52 into the match when Abby Kraemer crossed the ball from the left to the top of the box and Susannah Gaines put the ball past Crusader starting netminder, sophomore Olivia Dubin for the 1-0 edge.
• In the 16th minute, the Black Bears tacked on an important insurance tally via a corner kick opportunity when Gaines headed home the ball off the leg of Jordane Pinette.
• Holy Cross came close to cracking the scoring column in the 54th minute. The Crusaders had two separate corner kicks. The first chance was out to the top of the box and cleared away by Maine. The next corner resulted in shots by senior Melanie Lytle and junior Ellie Zern which were both saved by members of the Black Bears defensive unit.
• With seven minutes to play, the Crusaders cut the deficit in half, 2-1. Freshman Kailee McCabe fired a shot via a corner near the goal line. The shot was redirected back to her foot and she put another attempt on net while on the ground. It was evidently stopped, but a juicy rebound was cleaned up by senior Colleen McIlvenna for the score.

Pulling within one!@ESPN | @PatriotLeagueTV | #GoCrossGo pic.twitter.com/3gRltjNHBX
— Holy Cross W. Soccer (@HCrossWSoccer) September 1, 2022
 

INSIDE THE BOX:

• The goal was the first of the season for McIlvenna and third of her Holy Cross career.
• The Crusaders held a massive advantage in corner kicks at 8-to-1 with seven of them coming in the second half.
• Dubin has made five or more saves in three of the four games.

 
UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross travels away from campus on Sunday, September 4 for a nonconference tilt with Bryant at 7:00 p.m.

 
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross women's soccer team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossWSoccer | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrosswsoccer | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Women's Soccer | Holy Cross Athletics
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