WENHAM, Mass.—A hat-trick from reigning CCC Offensive Player of the Week, Hannah Midwinter (Barkhamsted, Conn.), spurred the Fighting Scots to a dominant first half and eventual 7-1 over the visiting Panthers of Plymouth State. The Panthers could not slow down Gordon's offensive attack in the early going, falling behind 4-1 at halftime before the Fighting Scots added three tallies in the final half.
After allowing the first goal of the game, Gordon rallied off seven straight goals to notch its third straight win and improves to 11-4-0 on the season. Plymouth State falls to 5-8-0 on the year with the loss.
The first half started fast for the Fighting Scots with two good shots in the first five minutes, including a breakaway opportunity for Taylor McSherry (Wolcott, Conn.). The senior's attempt was pushed just far to the left of net and Plymouth quickly countered following the miss. Amber Bissonnette (Whitefield, N.H.) was able to steal a failed clear and streak down the middle of the field unguarded before being met by McKenzie Dion (North Grafton, Mass.) The Gordon keeper had no chance, as Bissonnette buried one into the twine on the left side of goal for the early 1-0 advantage in favor of Plymouth State.
McSherry made good on her early miss by she scored a nifty goal just inside the 18-yard box in the 10
th minute. After receiving a cross from Shelby Palafox (Lexington, Mass.), McSherry took the ball away from net to gain some space. With her back turned to the goal, McSherry contorted her body to get a clean strike from left to right past Panthers goalkeeper Annaliese Schmidt (Newmarket, N.H.) for the equalizer.
Midwinter's stretch of scoring began in the 17
th minute when she stole the ball from the last defender and beat Schmidt in a one-on-one battle. The senior midfielder struck again in the 24
th minute when she took the ball down the field herself and chipped it over the Panthers keeper. Chandler Stier (Redlands, Calif.) made it 4-1 just before the break in the 43
rd minute by poking a Christina Martin (San Diego, Calif.) pass under a sliding Schmidt.
Gordon continued its scoring prowess after the halftime break when Midwinter completed her hat-trick in the 61
st minute on a ball over the top by Jamie Breton (Concord, N.H.) Breton got ahold of a clear by Gordon's defense and put it out of reach of the Panthers defense, allowing Midwinter to run onto it for the score.
Sophomore MC Aston provided the final two goals of the game for the Fighting Scots on perfectly placed chip shots. Aston had her first shot glance off the fingertips of replacement keeper Bissonnette from 30 yards out in the 72
nd minute. She scored again with time dwindling down on a cross from the right touchline, putting the ball just under the crossbar for the seventh goal of the day.
Gordon concocted 35 shots on the afternoon to Plymouth State's three attempts, with 22 shots being on frame. The Panthers split keeper duties between Schmidt and Bissonnette, coming up with 15 saves in the process. Dion and Emmalee Sloman (Oneonta, N.Y.) combined goal-tending efforts for the Fighting Scots.
The Fighting Scots are back on the road on Saturday when they matchup with Curry College at 11 a.m. The Panthers return to Little East action on Saturday when they travel to UMass-Darmouth for a 3 p.m. kick.
