Fighting Scots Blank Vikings 4-0

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

WENHAM, Mass. –  At the Brigham Athletic Complex on Wednesday evening, the Gordon Fighting Scots defeated the Salem State Vikings by a score of 4-0. The win brings the Scots' record to 4-3-1, while the Vikings fall to a record of 2-6-1. 

At the start of the game, the Vikings were in full swing, with everything going their way. Their passes were executed, and they were attacking Gordon's zone relentlessly. Despite their efforts, they were unable to get a shot on goal, but momentum was still on their side. 

After the game, coach Wood talked about the strong momentum to start the game. "The first half we really proved that we can defend against anyone, but we knew it was going to come down to the energy. It was going to get empty if we didn't start to use position to defend."  

During the course of the game, Eowyn Lapp (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) made a swift move and shot the ball toward the net. However, Vikings goalkeeper Lily Pfefferle (St. Paul, Minn.)  exhibited her exceptional skills by making a difficult save, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring.  

Around 20 minutes into the first half, Ada Forbes-Smith (New Haven, Connecticut) engaged in a race with Macy Hudzik (Dracut, Mass.)  to put one inside the net. The ball ended up going out of bounds as Hudzick kicked it to prevent Forbes from scoring.   

As the game progressed, Alexa Weindorf (East Northport, N.Y.), made a shot that seemed to be heading straight towards the net. However, Pfefferle displayed her impressive skills once again by making a sliding catch, preventing the Fighting Scots from striking first.  

Towards the end of the first half, the Fighting Scots were aggressively attacking the Vikings' zone. Rachel Mincome (East Northport, N.Y.)  got close to scoring, but her shot curved outside of the net, giving the Vikings a much-needed break. At this point, the game remained scoreless.  

Despite both teams having several opportunities to score in the first half, neither team managed to strike first. As the first half came to an end, the Fights Scots had nine shots on goal compared to the Vikings, who had none. 

In the second half of the game, Gordon's team exhibited a more competitive and aggressive performance, aggressively attacking the Vikings' defense. Pfefferle made an impressive catch near the left crossbar, exhibiting her skills as a goalkeeper.  

After the game, coach Wood talked about what changed between the first and the second half. "I think we got tired, I think we ran out of energy…we did a good job attacking.  

Moments later, Taylor Talensick (Maitland, Fla.) passed the ball to Francie Leffler (Cerritos, Calif.), who scored the first goal of the game, giving the Fighting Scots a 1-0 lead. The time of the goal was 58:56 in the second half. Six minutes later, Gordon's team added an insurance goal when Forbes-Smith made an excellent pass to Lapp , who beat Pfefferle.  Although Gordon had a 2-0 lead, they continued to attack the Vikings' defense and aimed to score more goals.  

Gordon added two more goals to their tally. Lapp scored her second goal of the game, and Talensick shot the ball from a distance of 18 feet, which landed inside the net. Pfefferle attempted a spectacular save, diving midair to intercept the ball from going into the net, but it was too late.