Saturday afternoon was a bit chilly and windy, but that didn’t stop the Hornets from celebrating their Homecoming weekend. The Northern Vermont University – Lyndon Women’s Varsity Soccer Team fought against the University of Maine – Presque Isle at 1:00. The Hornets stepped onto the field with a season record of 1-5 and the Owls with a season record of 0-4. This game was also a North Atlantic Conference match up, in which both team’s records were 0-1.
Not even ten minutes into the first half, Lyndon freshman EmmaLee Smith (7) paired with junior Kelsey Jacobs (23) for the first goal of the game. Smith had a very early corner kick which Jacobs was able to take control of and coax into the back of UMPI’s net. One fan was quoted as saying, “She’s [Jacob’s] not afraid to do nothing.”Family, friends, students, and community members were present to support the women through the game. The energy of Homecoming was infectious. Lyndon was calm and collected during the contest, but energetic and fierce. Their drive to win and celebrate the weekend with their families was strong. They maintained control of the ball for most of the game, keeping it by UMPI’s goal. They were able to shut out UMPI for the entire game, ending with a victorious score of 2-0.
The next goal was something out of a comic book. Jessica Hillman (8) drove the ball up the field and took a shot at the goal from the far right. Presque Isle’s goalie, Taylor Howe (0), jumped for the ball but fell short. The ball ended up hitting the far-left goal post at just the right angle to fly into the net behind Howe. The crowd went wild at this unexpected goal.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle ladies were able to rally together in the second half and prevent another goal by the Hornets. That didn’t stop Lyndon from taking shot after shot and crashing the goal as much as they could. The balls were always inches from the goal, either going over or hitting another post. The Hornets didn’t let this change their attitudes, though, and stayed united to shut down the visiting Owls for the second half. The game ended 2-0, favoring Lyndon.Senior Tori Carlson (2) was another star on the field. She was full of energy and power, running around to wherever she was needed and sneaking up on unsuspecting UMPI players. She was a leader of the team that day, every action she made speaking louder than all the voices on the field. Carlson had the whole “this is our Homecoming, and we are winning” vibe going on, which was super fun to watch.
The Lyndon Hornets are set to travel to Maine Maritime Academy on September 29 for another NAC contest, the ball kicking off at 4:00. The next home game will be on October 3 with a start time of 1:00. This will also be a NAC contest against sister school Northern Vermont University – Johnson. We hope to see as many people in attendance as there were at Homecoming! Go Hornets!