Barrett Freeman and Kiki D'Anza each found the back of the net, while Chloe Bourque tallied two assists to lead the St. Lawrence University women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Nazareth on Saturday afternoon at Sandy MacAllaster Field. The win marked the first of the season for the Saints and a milestone for head coach Dima Kaliakin, who earned his first career victory at the helm.

With the result, St. Lawrence improved to 1-1-2 on the year, while Nazareth dropped to 2-1-0.

"We're proud of the work the group put in today and every day we have been together as a team," said Kaliakin. "Nazareth is a well-coached team, but we stayed organized, and we were good in the big moments."

The Saints carried momentum from their midweek performance into Saturday's contest, applying early pressure on the Golden Flyers. Kaitlyn Barton, Lilly Stone, and Madison King-Thurber each had chances in the opening 15 minutes, but Nazareth goalkeeper Delaney Malone stood tall to keep the game scoreless.

St. Lawrence finally broke through in the 38th minute. After earning a corner kick, Bourque delivered a pinpoint cross into the box. Kylie Burnett's initial shot struck the post, but Freeman was in perfect position to clean up the rebound and give the Saints a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.



Nazareth responded quickly after the break. Just six minutes into the second half, Shannon Sgombick fired a shot that Saints keeper Zoe Davenport saved, but the rebound fell back to Sgombick, who converted on her second bid to level the score at 1-1 in the 51st minute.

The Saints regained control of the match in the 65th minute, however. Following a foul near midfield, Bourque sent a long free kick into the box, where D'Anza timed her run perfectly and slotted home the go-ahead goal to make it 2-1 in favor of the Saints.

Nazareth pushed for an equalizer in the closing minutes, nearly finding it with under eight minutes to play. Tessa Muskopf unleashed a shot that rattled the crossbar, forcing Davenport to dive for the effort. The goalkeeper bounced off the grass and made a showstopping save on the ensuing rebound to keep the Saints in the lead.

Giuliana Rodriguez had a late chance for the Golden Flyers, but the Saints' defense held firm to secure the win.

Both teams finished with seven shots on goal, but St. Lawrence held a 15-11 edge in total chances and a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks. Davenport recorded six saves in the net for the Saints, while Malone made five stops for Nazareth.

St. Lawrence returns to action on Friday, September 13, when they travel to Oswego State for a 1 p.m. matchup.