BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. – A second-half goal from Nicole Pacapelli (West Haven, Conn./West Haven / Stonehill College) and 11 saves by Natasha Purchla (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) led the No. 25 University of New Haven women’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Northeast-10 foe Merrimack on Saturday afternoon at Kayo Field.
 
With the win, the Chargers improve to 7-2-1 on the season and 4-2-1 in the Northeast-10. The Warriors, who had their three-match winning streak snapped, drop to 7-3 overall with a 5-2 conference mark.
 
Pacapelli’s fifth goal of the season was the difference in the 64th minute. Heather Timmons (Billerica, Mass./Billerica Memorial) ran down a loose ball on the sideline and fired it to Pacapelli, who worked across the goal along the edge of the 18-yard box. She then fired across the net, beating Merrimack goalkeeper Nicole Curtis to her left for the contest’s only tally.
 
The marker was the eighth of Pacapelli’s career in 27 matches as a Charger.
 
Purchla’s 12 saves preserved her first career shutout. In total, the Charger back row faced 32 Merrimack shots – the majority of which came from well outside the box. Offensively, New Haven had 26 attempts.

Curtis reeled in nine saves for the Warriors.
 
New Haven rounds out a three-match homestand with a visit from Southern Connecticut State on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live in high definition and available on most mobile devices at NewHavenChargers.com.