UNH Edged 1-0 in America East Title Game by Vermont

Sunday, November 7

Burlington, Vt.

2 PM

University of New Hampshire

6-9-4, 4-4-1

Vermont

12-5-1, 7-2-0

New Hampshire

Vermont

Photo by: Ed Wolfstein Photo

11/7/2021 5:58:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

Captains Casey Peterson, Francesca Picicci and Cat Sheppard Named to All-Championship Team

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of New Hampshire women's soccer team was defeated 1-0 by the University of Vermont in Sunday afternoon's America East championship game at Virtue Field.

UNH senior goalie and captain Cat Sheppard (Nesconset, N.Y.) was credited with six saves. She finished the tournament with 19 saves and two goals allowed in 310 minutes for a 0.58 GAA and .905 save percentage.

Sheppard was joined on the All-Championship Team by fellow captains Casey Peterson (Round Hill, Va.) and Francesca Picicci (North Massapequa, N.Y.).

UNH junior Whitney Wiley (Vienna, Va.) was named the recipient of the America East Elite 18 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average at each sport's championship game. Wiley has a 3.93 GPA while pursuing a degree in hotel and hospitality management.

UVM goalie Lydia Kessel made five saves and Cricket Basa scored the game's only goal in the 80^th minute.

UNH, the tourney's No. 6 seed by virtue of a 4-4-1 conference record, ends the season with a 6-9-4 record. The Wildcats had advanced to the title game via a penalty kick shootout in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

Top-seeded Vermont won its ninth consecutive game to improve to 12-5-1 and earn the America East automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

PHOTO GALLERY

FIRST HALF

UVM had a 10-4 shot advantage (4-1 on goal) with a 4-0 edge in corner kicks in the scoreless first half.
Vermont generated a corner in the fifth minute, but Sheppard came off the goal line and punched the ball out of the box to eliminate a scoring chance.
The Wildcats recorded their first shot on goal in the13th minute when sophomore Anna Hewlett (Webster, N.Y.) blasted a shot from 40 yards that was easily caught by Kessel with no traffic in front of her.
One minute later, sophomore Emily Bini (Guilderland, N.Y.) sent a through ball down the right side that was run onto by Picicci. One touch advanced the ball toward the right post and Picicci, while shouldering off a defender, sent a close-range shot wide of the near post.
In the 25^th minute, Bailey Ayer's shot from 10 yards was blocked out wide right by Sheppard, who had left the goal line to smother the shot.
UNH's most dangerous scoring opportunity in the first half came in the 31^st minute. On a free kick near midfield, sophomore Alivia Kelly (Pembroke, Mass.) lofted a pass down the left sideline. Classmate Keegan Mayer (Summit, N.J.) controlled the ball and centered a pass to the top of the goalie box, where freshman Meghan Guarente (Sewell, N.J.) sent a header barely over the crossbar.
Sheppard made a save on Ayer's looping shot in the closing seconds to send the teams to the locker rooms with a scoreless tie.

SECOND HALF

In the 59^th minute, Peterson maneuvered past a defender at midfield and sent a pass out to the right wing to Guarente, whose bouncing shot from the top-right corner of the box was snared by Kessel at the near post with Picicci closing in for a potential rebound that was not forthcoming.
Minutes later at the other end of the field, Sheppard had to make a leaping save on Ayer's shot that was sailing into the upper-left corner.
In the 63^rd minute, Guarente's service on a penalty corner from the left side bounced to the far side, where Peterson chipped a left-footed shot that Kessel pushed over the crossbar to keep the game scoreless.
A little more than one minute later, multiple players collided to play Kelly's free kick from near midfield to the penalty spot. Bini got a touch and Kessel dove back to corral the ball.
Cricket gave the Catamounts a 1-0 lead at 79:07 when she volleyed Ayer's pass to the middle of the box low inside the left post, barely past the outstretched arms of the diving Sheppard.
With 2:40 remaining, Bini's low direct kick from the right wing was deflected down to the top of the goalie box, where Guarente drove a low shot into Kessel. The ball ricocheted toward the goal, but Kessel dove back into a mass of players to cover the ball and end the scoring threat.
And with just over one minute to play, a centering pass sailed to Guarente, who flicked a header from seven yards just wide of the left post.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Vermont finished with a 17-12 shot advantage that included 7-5 on goal.
The Catamounts also had an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks.
Guarente tied UVM's Ella Bankert with a game-high four shots.
Vermont entered the game as the highest scoring team in America East at 1.82 goals per game.
New Hampshire entered the title game ranked third in the conference in defense (0.94 goals allowed per game).

UNH NOTEBOOK

This was New Hampshire's fourth America East title game appearance. The Wildcats won it all in 2014 – head coach Steve Welham's first year with the program – and has finished as runner-up in 1998, 2007 and 2021.
UNH is only the second No. 6 seed to ever advance to the championship game.
Sheppard ends the season with eight shutouts and a 0.90 GAA.
She is the only goalkeeper in program history to record a career GAA below 1.00 with a mark of 0.95.
Sheppard is No. 4 on UNH's career leaderboard with 16 shutouts.
Peterson, the only three-time captain in program history, played in 77 career games.
Picicci played in 73 games. She was named to both the America East All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team this season.
In addidtion to the three captains, the end of the 2021 season also marked the end of UNH women's soccer careers for seniors Julie Cane (Titusville, N.J.), Alyssa Di Lorenzo (Floral Park, N.Y.), Halle Hamilton (Londonderry, N.H.) and Jamie Irwin (Roxbury, N.J.).

SERIES NOTEBOOK

UNH has a 23-12-7 lifetime record against Vermont that includes 1-1 in America East postseason play.
The Wildcats prevailed 1-0 in double overtime of a 2005 quarterfinal matchup in Burlington.