Curry Tops Salem State 6-4 in Season Opener

Recap, photo courtesy of Salem State University

MILTON, Mass. -- Tara McLaughlin (Woburn, Mass.) and Taylor Lund (Woburn, Mass.) notched two goals apiece, but Curry used three unanswered goals in the second half to score a 6-4 victory over Salem State in the Vikings' season opener on Thursday afternoon. The Colonels improve to 2-0 while Salem State opens 0-1.

Curry started the scoring with a Katie Parker (Branford, Conn.) goal, getting a helping hand from freshman Brigid Avery (Lexington, Mass.). Just over three minutes later, however, Curry goalie Jessica Ginaitt (Warwick, R.I.) surrendered her first goal of the season, allowing McLaughlin  to knot the score at one with an unassisted marker. The tie would hold for over ten minutes, until a foul by Rose Sullivan (Charlestown, Mass.) inside the critical scoring area gave Curry their fifth free position chance of the game.

Despite Curry going 0-4 on their earlier free position shots, Andria Torres (Milford, Conn.) put the Colonels back on top with her first goal of the season with 8:22 remaining in the half. Less than two minutes later, junior middie Abby Dubel (Wolfeboro, N.H.) extended the lead to 3-1 with an unassisted tally. Following the ensuing draw control, Marissa McClellan (Saugus, Mass.) found Lund, who found the net to draw the Vikings back to within one at 3-2, but the score would hold until the half.

After an abbreviated half time to limit the players' exposure to the dropping temperatures, Salem State showed they would not be fazed by the shortened break by netting two goals in the first two minutes. Curry started the half by winning the draw control, but after a save by Gianna DeNisco (Peabody, Mass.) and a Viking clear, McLaughlin found the net again to reinstate the tie at 3-3. Just 14 seconds later, Lund found her way past the freshman Ginaitt as well, giving Salem State their first lead of the day at 4-3.

The scoring would continue shortly after, but this time it was Dubel, registering her second goal of the day, after Averill Herr (Canaan, Vt.) got the ball back by forcing a turnover. With the score once again knotted, the clock wound down under the ten minute mark before a failed clear by the Vikings allowed Curry to creep ahead at 5-4 as Dubel notched her second hat trick in as many games. After a pair of Salem State fouls following the draw control, the Colonels doubled their lead as Kayla Merritt (Attleboro, Mass.) converted a free position shot, which would stand as the final goal of the day.

Ginaitt earns the win in net by collecting nine saves while DeNisco grabbed 16 saves minding the net.