Lyndon State’s season ends on sour note
The Lyndon State College women’s soccer team’s season came to a tragic end on Wednesday, Oct. 29 with a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss to the University of Maine at Farmington. Despite being outshot 36-3 in the contest, the Lady Hornets, on two goals by senior striker Kelly Warren, held a one-goal advantage with less than five minutes left to play.
In the final seconds of the game, Farmington poured on the pressure and managed to net the game-tying goal with one second remaining in regulation time. Less than four minutes into sudden-death overtime, the Lady Beavers tallied the game-winning goal, thus ending LSC’s inaugural season in the NAC.
The Lady Hornets ended an injury-plagued 2008 campaign with a respectable overall mark of 7-9-1 and a NAC record of 2-4-1.
Warren led the team in scoring with seven goals and four assists for a total of 18 points. Junior midfielder Kathy Kline was second on the scoring list with five goals and three assists for 13 points, and sophomore back Tracy Zisselsberger had three goals and three assists for nine points.
Sophomore goalie Natalia Shams had a solid first season in the Lyndon State net, collecting six wins, a GAA of 2.80, a saves percentage of .706 and five shutouts.
At season's end, Warren, Zisselsberger and junior midfielder Shauna Buck were All-NAC Second Team selections and freshman stopper Naomi White garnered an Honorable Mention.
Wednesday, October 29 - NAC Quarterfinals:
UMaine-Farmington 3, Lyndon State 2 (OT)
FARMINGTON, Maine - Chelsea Norton scored 3:47 into overtime to propel the University of Maine at Farmington women's soccer team into the North Atlantic Conference semifinals as UMF knocked off sixth-seeded Lyndon State College 3-2 in first-round action at Prescott Field.
Norton's game-winner was preceded by a tying marker from Melissa St. Amand with only one second remaining in the match. With the Hornets leading 2-1, despite being outshot 36-3, Amanda Byrne pushed the ball ahead on an attempted clear by the visitors in the waning moments and set off a goal-mouth scramble that was finished with St. Amand punching the ball into the back of the net to even the score at 2-2 at 89:59. The Beavers carried the momentum into the extra session with Norton teeing up an Amber Murphy cross for the 3-2 victory at 93:47.
Lyndon State's Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) tallied a pair of goals, the second with 4:04 remaining in regulation to give the Hornets a 2-1 edge. Following a score by Murphy off a Laura St. John pass 20:27 into the match, Warren knotted the game in the opening half with an unassisted marker at 32:15.
Crystal Johnson manned the pipes for Beavers with one save - a diving stop of an upfield push by Warren in overtime. Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) recorded 12 saves for Lyndon State. Shams smothered a pair of doorstep bids by Murphy to open the second half.
Box score
Saturday, October 25 - Green Mountain 3, Lyndon State 2
POULTNEY, Vt. - Monique Couture scored two goals to lead Green Mountain College to a 3-2 North Atlantic Conference win over Lyndon State College.
The Eagles got on the board first when Lyndol Senf beat LSC goalkeeper Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) from outside the 18-yard box 20 minutes into the match. As the first half drew to a close, Lyndon's Tracy Zisselsberger (Bethel, VT) tied the score with an unassisted tally.
The score remained tied well into the second half until Couture notched her first goal, unassisted, from inside the six-yard box with less than 20 minutes to play. Just two minutes later, Deirdre Bailey passed off to Amanda Jeffers who found Couture as she streaked towards the net for her second goal of the game.
Lady Hornets' midfielder Katherin Kline (Coventry, RI) slashed the deficit back to a single goal with less than a minute left in regulation on a penalty kick, but the GMC defense was able to hold off the Lady Hornets and preserve the victory. Karen Davidson had four saves for GMC, while Shams collected eight saves. Green Mountain outshot LSC 30-6.
With the loss, Lyndon State completes its 2008 regular season with an overall record of 7-9-1 and a NAC mark of 2-4-1.
Box score
Tuesday, October 21 - Mass. College of Liberal Arts 3, Lyndon State 0
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Jade Prickett tallied two goals to lead the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts women's soccer team to a 3-0 non-conference win over Lyndon State College. Jess Tietgens accounted for the third goal scored in the contest.
Lady Trailblazer goalie CeCe Von Tiesenhausen-Hush made one save to earn the shutout while LSC goalkeeper Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) stopped 13 shots. MCLA outshot the Lady Hornets by a margin of 19-3.
Box score
Saturday, October 18 - Lyndon State 2, Johnson State 0
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – Kristie Cultrera (Northfield, VT) made her final regular-season game on the Lyndon State College campus a memorable oneSaturday, scoring the game winning goal at 33:08 of the first half as the Lady Hornets blanked Johnson State 2-0.
Cultrera took a through pass from fellow senior Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) and snuck a shot into the far corner of the net behind JSC keeper Elizabeth Wallace. The play capped a special day for the two seniors, who were honored for their contributions to the LSC women’s soccer program prior to the contest.
In the second half, Johnson creatted a few solid scoring opportunities, but the Lyndon State defense, as well as sophomore goaltender Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA), managed to keep the Badgers at bay. With 23:29 left in the contest, Kathy Kline (Coventry, RI) closed out the scoring in the contest with an unassisted tally to send the Lady Hornets on to their seven win of the season.Shams stopped five shots to earn the shutout and Wallace stopped 10 shots for Johnson. Lyndon outshot Johnson by a count of 17-10.
Box score
Thursday, October 16 - Norwich 6, Lyndon State 0
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University women’s soccer team scored five goals in a 16:47 span of the first half en route to a 6-0 victory over in-state rival Lyndon State College.
Norwich (12-3) opened the scoring at the 13:03 mark when Dawn McNulty scored an assist from
Becky Scully. Two minutes later, Nora Osinski took a pass from Sarah Reuschel and unloaded a hard shot into the right-hand corner of the goal for her first career tally.
Norwich made it 3-0 at the 17:04 mark when Caitlin Wohlschlegel scored off a scramble in front of the net and less than six minutes later, Nikki Szczepanski dribbled through several LSC defenders before scoring her fifth goal of the season. Allison Flemming capped the Cadets’ scoring in the opening half when she snuck a shot past Lyndon State goalkeeper Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) to make it 5-0 at the 29:50 mark.
Emily Chandler added a second-half goal, tallying in the 53rd minute off an assist from McNulty. Norwich outshot the Lady Hornets 16-8 in the match. Nicki Hunsicker, and Meghan Kennedy recorded a combined four saves to earn the shutout while Shams made six saves in the contest. Lyndon State drops to 6-7-1 with the loss.
Box score
Sunday, October 12 - Maine-Farmington 1, Lyndon State 0 (OT)
FARMINGTON, Maine - Amber Murphy scored 4:25 into overtime to lift the University of Maine at Farmington women's soccer team to a 1-0 North Atlantic Conference win over Lyndon State College at Prescott Field. Murphy's game-winner came off a corner kick for the Beavers. With the loss, the Lady Hornets dropped to 6-6-1 (1-3-1) on the season.
Mckell Barnes recorded the shutout for Farmington with three saves while Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) made seven saves in the loss. The Beavers outshot Lyndon State 20-5.
Box score
Saturday, October 11 - Lyndon State 1, Thomas 0
WATERVILLE, Maine – Kelly Warren's (Carroll, NH) goal with 2:22 left to play provided the margin of victory as the Lyndon State College women's soccer team earned its first North Atlantic Conference win of the season - a 1-0 decision over Thomas College.
The game was scoreless until late in the second half when Warren found the back of the net behind Lady Terriers' goalkeeper Jess Nassetta. Thomas threatened to add the equalizer in the final seconds of the match, but Lyndon was able to hold on for the victory.
Nassetta recorded six saves in the match while LSC goalie Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) compiled four for the Lady Hornets (6-5-1, 1-2-1).
Box score
Thursday, October 2 – Plymouth State 9, Lyndon State 0
PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University tallied seven first-half goals en route to a 9-0 victory over Lyndon State College. With the loss, the Lady Hornets dropped to 4-5-1 overall.
Freshman Gill Carroll led the Lady Panthers with two goals while teammates Katherine Goller, Lauren Lavery, Stacy DiSabato, Sarah Daglis, Rebecca Wilson, Nicole Bedard and Kelsea Anderson chipped in one each. PSU finished the game with a 30-3 advantage in shots.
Plymouth goalkeepers Stephanie Regina and Angelina LaBroad did not make a save in the contest shared the shutout. LSC goalies Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) and Tracy Zisselsberger (Bethel, VT) combined to make nine shots in the loss.
Box score
Sunday, September 28 – Maine Maritime 0, Lyndon State 0 (2OT)
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – Lyndon State and the Maine Maritime Academy played to a 0-0 tie after two 10-minute sudden death overtime periods.
Lacey Jackson made four saves for the Lady Mariners (4-5-2, 1-1-1) while Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) collected six saves for Lyndon (4-4-1, 0-2-1) Maine Maritime outshot the Lady Hornets 11-7.
Box score
Saturday, September 27 - Husson 5, Lyndon State 0
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. - Husson University jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead less than two minutes in, and cruised to a 5-0 victory over the Lady Hornets (4-4, 0-2).
Katie Nickerson made it 1-0 at the 1:54 mark and the tandem of Shelby Bradford and Megan LaJoie upped the advantage to three with one goal each in a 2:36 span midway through the first half. LaJoie scored her second goal of the contest with 7:15 remaining before halftime and Lindsay Howard closed out the scoring shortly thereafter with an unassisted tally at 39:17.
HU keeper Tatyana Wolterbeek stopped five shots to earn the shutout while LSC goalie Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) turned aside six shots in the contest. Husson (8-2, 2-0) held a 34-5 advantage in shots-on-goal in the game.
Box score
Wednesday, September 24 - Lyndon State 4, Southern Vermont 0
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – The Lyndon State College women’s soccer team jumped out to an early three-goal lead at halftime and rolled to an easy 4-0 victory over Southern Vermont.
Senior striker Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) tallied goals at 5:22 and 12:21 of the first half to give the Lady Hornets all the offense they would need to secure their fourth win of the season. Michelle Wilcox (Sheldon, VT) upped the advantage to three goals at 17:40 and teammate Ashley Phelps (Lyndonville, VT) closed out the scoring in the contest with a goal with 19:30 remaining.
Warren, Kathy Kline (Coventry, RI), Kristie Cultrera (Northfield, VT) and Preslee Jacobs (Derby, VT) had one assist each for LSC and sophomore goalkeeper Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) did not make a save in recording her second shutout of the season. Lyndon outshot SVC by a lopsided margin of 34-0.
Box score
Saturday, September 20 – Castleton State 6, Lyndon State 0
CASTLETON, Vt. - Courtney Chadburn scored four goals to propel Castleton State College to a 6-0 win over Lyndon State College in North Atlantic Conference women’s soccer action at Alumni Field.
Chadburn scored three first-half goals to put the game out of reach early on. Lyndon State goal keeper, Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) stopped eight shots in 63 minutes of play, before being relieved by Tracy Zisselberger (Bethel, VT). Zisselberger stopped one shot and allowed one goal in her 27 minutes of action.
Box score
Wednesday, September 17 – Lyndon State 3, New Hampshire Tech 0
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – The Lyndon State College women’s soccer team ran its winning streak to three games Wednesday with a 3-0 victory over the New Hampshire Technical Institute at the LSC 
Athletics Field.
After a sluggish start, the Lady Hornets managed to get the game into a tempo of their liking and took the lead for good on Tracy Zisselsberger’s (Bethel, VT) goal at the 39:59 mark of the first half. From there, Kathy Kline (Coventry, RI) took over the scoring chores, netting goals at 52:56 and 61:51 of the second half to put the game out of reach.
Senior striker Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) drew two assists in the game and goalkeeper Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) made five saves to record the first shutout of her collegiate soccer career. Lyndon outshot the Lynx by a margin of 17-7 in the game.
Box score
Sunday, September 14 - Lyndon State 3, Mitchell 0
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – The Lyndon State College women’s soccer team evened its record at 2-2 Sunday with a 3-1 win over Mitchell College at the LSC Athletics Field.
Preslee Jacobs (Derby, VT) gave the Lady Hornets at 1-0 lead at 22: 32 and teammate Kathy Kline (Coventry, RI) upped the lead to two goals when she tallied what proved to be the game-winner 16 minutes later. Shauna Buck (Newport Center, VT) drew an assist on both goals. In the second half, Tracy Zisselsberger (Bethel, VT) extended the lead to 3-0 with an unassisted goal at 69:47.
Lyndon State goalie Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) made four saves to get the win. The Lady Hornets held a 24-14 advantage in shots-on-goal in the contest.
Box score
Saturday, September 13 - Lyndon State 6, Southern Maine CC 3
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – Lyndon State earned its first victory of the 2008 season by topping Southern Maine Community College 6-3 on the Seawolves' home field.
Shauna Buck (Newport Center, VT) scored two goals in the contest to while Preslee Jacobs (Derby, VT), Ashley Phelps (Lyndonville, VT), Leisa Williams (Hardwick, VT) and Kristie Cultrera (Northfield, VT) had one each. Buck collected an assist in the game and the tandem of Kathy Kline (Coventry, RI) and Tracy Zisselsberger (Bethel, VT) had two each.
Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) made three saves in net for for the Lady Hornets.
Box score
Sunday, September 7 - Maine-Presque Isle 3, Lyndon State 2
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Tournament host the University of Maine at Presque Isle withstood a solid effort from the Lyndon State women's soccer team to register a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Lady Hornets in the consolation game of the UMPI Tournament.
After the Lady Owls jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Desiree Smith, LSC battled back to knot the score at 1-1 on a tally from Naomi White (Danville, VT). Tracy Zisselsberger (Bethel, VT) drew an assist on the play. In the second half, goals by UMPI strikers Carmen Allen and Erin Pelletier proved to be too much to overcome as Lyndon State dropped its first one-goal decision of the season.
LSC's Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) scored her second unassisted goal in as many days, but it wasn't enough to prevent Lady Owls' goalkeeper Carolynn Tucker from securing the victory. She made nine saves to get the win and Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) turned aside 10 shots for Lyndon State.
For their efforts, Warren, Zisselsberger and Chelsie Brown (Bethel, VT) were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Box score
Saturday, September 7 - Maine-Fort Kent 4, Lyndon State 1
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Whitney Sinclair scored two goals, and Brianne McGary and Emily Burnett chipped in one each, to lead the Univeristy of Maine at Fort Kent women's soccer team to a 4-1 victory over Lyndon State in the opening round of the University of Maine at Presque Tournament.
Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) accounted for the Lady Hornets' lone goal of the afternoon which came at the 75:23 mark of the second half. It was unassisted. Kayla Daigle made nine saves for the Bengals to get the win and Natalia Shams (Sawmpscott, MA) stopped seven shots for LSC.
Box score
2008 will be a year of firsts for LSC Women
LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – The 2008 season will usher in a few firsts for the Lyndon State College women’s soccer program. Under first-year head coach Jim Davis, the Lady Hornets will embark on their inaugural season in the always-competitive North Atlantic Conference and pursue their first playoff berth in NCAA play.
Davis, who was hired in April of this year, feels his troops could turn a few heads in the NAC, despite
a 16-player roster that features 10 freshmen. Initially he will focus his efforts on building a foundation that he feels will become the groundwork for an eventual conference champion.
“I think it’s important to set a few parameters and the first we will set is conditioning,” said Davis. “We did a pre-test to set a baseline for the program and found only one-third of the team to be fit. This will certainly need to change if we’re to be competitive.”
Bolstered by the return of All-Americans Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) and Kathy Kline (Coventry, RI), and a deep freshman class, Davis is looking for both his veterans and newcomers to make significant contributions as the season progresses.
“The team’s success will be a combination of effort from everyone,” he said. “I look for Kelly to lead both on and off the field, but I also expect Shauna Buck (Newport Center, VT) and Kathy, two of our more skilled players, to add the element of ‘this is what you’ve got to do to play at this level.’ The team is young so we will have a few issues to work through to reach a level of play that makes up competitive. Obviously, our goal is to reach the level of play you find in the NAC.”
Buck placed third on the team in scoring a year ago and fellow soph Ashley Phelps (Lyndonville, VT), a midfielder from Lyndonville, placed fifth. Both may need to expand their scoring production to keep LSC competitive. Joining them up front will be freshmen strikers Preslee Jacobs (Derby, VT) and Michelle Wilcox (Sheldon, VT) as well as midfielders Kristie Cultrera (Northfield, VT), Stephanie Bonacci (Newtown, CT) and Naomi White (Danville, VT). Tracy Zisselsberger (Bethel, VT), a sophomore, will also play the midfield area.
On the backline, LSC will count on the freshman corps of Chelsie Brown (Bethel, VT), Melissa Rosato (Florence, VT), Leisa Williams (Hardwick, VT), Colleen Long (Lyndonville, VT), Lindsey Warner (Newport, VT) and Michelle Kittredge (Danville, VT) to keep opposing strikers at bay.
In goal, sophomore Natal
ia Shams (Swampscott, MA) will take over for veteran keepers Kari Johnson (Brandon, VT) and Cara Dolan (Stafford, NH), who sustained season-ending injuries in the pre-season. Despite her inexperience, Davis is confident Shams will do well over the course of the season and in doing so, his troops could pull off a few surprise along way.
“Natalia is an excellent student-athlete and we are fortunate she is willing to step in and play goal for us,” he said. “Certainly there are a number of holes we need to fill in the program that may not allow us to be competitive with the top teams in the division. However, a .500 or above record and a playoff berth would be a big success for this program. If it doesn’t happen this year, filling those holes certainly be a critical component to our success in the future.”