North Adams, MA - The Panthers took a trip to Massachusetts on Tuesday afternoon to take on the MCLA Trail Blazers in the first game for the Panthers of the new year.
Despite missing two of their starters, the Panthers kept it a close one. Freshman
Brooke Coon (Stillwater, NY) played aggressively in her collegiate debut, taking four shots and nearly scoring twice - including one shot off the crossbar.
Ka'ena Kehano (Wailuku, HI), exercising her 5th year of eligibility, also took five shots with four of them being on goal.
Defensively,
Hannah Bouchard (Latham, NY) was an absolute menace. She let nothing get past her and inspired her teammates to play just as hard as she was.
Lizbeth Lopez (Staten Island, NY) had some shining moments, but it was goalie
Annaleece Melton (Cuba, NY) who blew away expectations. In her first career start as goalie, she recorded a whopping 14 saves, including some diving ones that made everyone say "wow".
The short handed Panthers ultimately lost the contest 2-0 thanks to two second half goals, but it was still a good start to the season. Many players played well, and with some conditioning to shake off that beginning-of-the-season rust combined with the return of the missing starters, the Panthers have the potential to win a high number of games this year.
They'll be back on Friday night for the first home game of the season when they take on Mitchell College at 6:30pm.
How to follow the Panthers: For the latest information on ACPHS athletics, visit acphspanthers.com or check out the ACPHS athletics social media platforms on Instagram @ACPHSPanthers or X @ACPHSAthletics.
Written by
Angelo Oddo.
