Senior
Sydney Keenan scored the eventual game-winning goal in the first half, and junior goalkeeper
Reagan Murphy made five saves for her fourth shutout of the season as the St. Lawrence University women's soccer team defeated Clarkson, 2-0, in the Route 11 Rivalry matchup on Tuesday afternoon at Hantz Turf Field in Potsdam, N.Y.
The Saints improved to 5-3-4 overall and 2-1-1 in Liberty League play, while the Golden Knights fell to 7-5-1 overall and 2-3-1 in conference action.
St. Lawrence wasted little time getting on the board, breaking through in the fifth minute.
After an early chance from
Paige McLaughlin was turned away by goalkeeper Emma Fleming,
Sofia Manne had the ball in the Saints' end and fired a ball up that found a streaking Keenan, who pulled up on the edge of the 18-yard box and buried her strike to give the Scarlet and Brown a 1-0 lead just 4:48 into the match.
The Saints carried the advantage into halftime, though Clarkson threatened on several occasions.
The Golden Knights' best chance came in the 13th minute when Ella Intrieri struck the woodwork before Murphy made a save moments later to preserve the lead.
Clarkson continued to push for an equalizer after the break, but St. Lawrence doubled its lead in the 51st minute.
Lily Murphy played a ball into the box to set up
Barrett Freeman, who found the back of the net in close for her fourth goal of the season to make it a 2-0 contest.
The Golden Knights generated pressure throughout the second half and earned four corner kicks over a nine-minute stretch, but Murphy stood tall in goal.
The netminder stopped shots from Aviana Johnson, Gabrielle Cyganik, and Kate Walsh, including a beautiful kick save on a rebound as the Saints protected their two-goal lead.
St. Lawrence nearly added a third goal in the 86th minute when
Zoe Rogan's left-footed shot rang off the left post, but the Saints would not need any additional offense as they closed out the shutout victory.
Murphy finished with five saves, while Fleming stopped two shots for Clarkson. The Golden Knights held edges in shots (11-7) and corner kicks (7-5), while St. Lawrence finished with a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal.
The Scarlet and Brown will return home and begin preparing for the weekend as the team hosts RIT at Sandy MacAllaster Field in a 1 p.m. match on Saturday.
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