Conn College earns hardfought win in Whale Cup rivalry against Coast Guard
Sep. 15—NEW LONDON — Connecticut College walked on the field for its annual Whale Cup women's soccer game Wednesday with a renewed focus and determination.
The Camels wanted to put a sour shutout loss at Tufts from Saturday behind them.
They did just that, returning to fine form to beat Coast Guard Academy 2-0 on the Silfen Field turf.
"We just wanted to pick it up since Tufts," Conn junior Jamie Scarpantonio said. "It was pretty upsetting and we knew we just had to give it our all."
The Camels (2-1) took charge right from the start in the spirited rivalry game between the two New London schools, scoring a goal in each half to hold off the Bears (3-2).
While they've won 21 of 22 meetings, including 11 straight, they've never had an easy go of it against the Bears, who always put up a fight.
Such was the case on Wednesday.
After a sluggish start, the Bears cranked up the intensity but just couldn't produce a goal. Sophomore goalie Emily Scharnitzky made a couple stellar saves to prevent the Camels from breaking the game open.
"It's always work to the last second of the game and physical," Conn College coach Norm Riker said. "They just sell out. We're proud to be their neighbors. And we know how much this game means to both campuses. We knew they would give us the effort that they did. ... They fought to the last minute. We expected that. That's how it always is."
Conn College started fast, applying pressure early and often.
From the start of the possession to Scarpantonio's strike, Conn College's teamwork that led to the first goal was a thing of beauty.
Sophomore Clare Mulvihill gained possession in the defensive end and hit Mya Johnson, a senior from Old Lyme, with a pass near midfield to spark a counterattack. Johnson kicked into attack mode, dribbling down the field and eventually sending a nice pass to Scarpantonio on the left side.
Scarpantonio finished off the play by sliding the ball into the far corner for a 1-0 lead just 6 minutes, 22 seconds into the game.
"We've worked on attacking as a group," Riker said. "We were able to string a couple passes together, which broke a line, and then we were able to get in and score a really nice team goal."
The goal also helped the Camels settle in.
"It was crucial," Scarpantonio said about scoring an early goal.
It would have been 2-0 by halftime if not for Scharnitzky's diving deflection of Ella Davidyock's hard shot targeted for the corner. Scharnitzky has been a bright spot for the Bears so far this season, earning the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference women's soccer defensive player of the week honors. She finished with three saves while Conn College's Sarah Hall had four.
"She's been awesome," Coast Guard coach Susan Grant said.
Play evened out a bit in the second half.
The Bears cranked up their intensity and energy but couldn't take advantage of their pressure and failed to produce any quality shots on goal.
Conn College held a 23-7 edge in shots.
"We came out a little flat, so we tried to pick up that intensity toward the end of the first half," Grant said. "We definitely got a little bit more into rhythm in the second half. We couldn't create anything dangerous but at least we were getting that momentum and got up the field. It was nice to see.
"That's promising, but we've got to play that full 90 (minutes)."
The Camels finally created a comfortable cushion with about 23 minutes left.
Junior Lauren Anastos scored during a doorstep scramble off a corner kick. Freshman Alexa Weiner earned the assist.
Both teams head back into conference play — Conn College in the NESCAC, Coast Guard in the NEWMAC — this weekend.
