FINAL SCORE: Vermont 2, Central Connecticut State 0
BURLINGTON, Vt. – A trio of collegiate firsts from
Brooke Jenkins,
Julia Smith, and
Coco Speckmaier led Vermont past Central Connecticut State in a 2-0 shutout to open the TD Bank Classic on Friday night under the lights at Virtue Field.
UVM evens its record at 1-1, while CCSU falls to 0-3 on the young season. New Hampshire beat Manhattan 1-0 in overtime to begin the first day of the annual tournament.
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Speckmaier made several key stops early on in the first half as the Catamounts fought back against consistent pressure from CCSU. A pair of point-blank stops followed by a diving effort kept the game scoreless 25 minutes in.
Jenkins opened the scoring with 17 minutes left in the first half by netting her first career goal. Jenkins collected a ball in the left side of the CCSU box and curled a quick shot into the right corner to beat Ashley Cavanaugh.
UVM extended its lead on another collegiate first in the 70
th minute of play. Making her NCAA debut, Smith combined with senior
Caitie Green on a slick give-and-go and the rookie finished with a heavy right-footed shot into the upper left corner.
Speckmaier made the pair of goals stand as she played with composure and collected her first career shutout with four saves. The Catamounts held a final edge of 12-10 in shots over the Blue Devils.
The win also marks the third time in the last five editions of the TD Bank Classic that the Catamounts have beaten CCSU in the opening round.
Vermont returns to action in the TD Bank Classic on Sunday (Aug. 28) when it hosts Manhattan at 1:30 p.m. Live video will be streamed for free at AmericaEast.TV, and tickets are available at the Gutterson Box Office. Central Connecticut and UNH square off in the early game at 11 a.m.