DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – It may have taken an extra 90 seconds but the result is the same no matter how long it took as senior Abby Nixon (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip Regional) led her squad to a 4-3 overtime victory on the road at Mercy on Tuesday afternoon. With the win, New Haven improves to 5-8 overall and evens its Northeast-10 Conference record at 4-4.
Nixon's game-winning goal 91 seconds into the extra period was her second of the game as she scored just about eight minutes earlier to knot the score at three and force the game into overtime. Also rattling the back of the cage for New Haven was Eliza Caven (Caledon, Ontario/Humberview Secondary) and Erin Smith (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South), with Smith extending her team-lead to six goals on the season, while also leading the team with 15 points.
Caven's game-opening goal came in the 10th minute and courtesy of a penalty corner. Kat Trammel (Sandy Hook, Conn./Newtown) found Caven on the insertion just outside the arc where Caven one-timed her shot through the defense, smacking it off the backboard.
After the Mavericks knotted the score at one in the third quarter, Smith struck just before time expired in the frame to regain a lead for the road time. Again starting from a penalty corner, this time with Paige Garrett (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood Area) inserting the ball to Sophia Ruh (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) at the top of the arc, her sweep pass to the right found Johannah Lee (State College, Pa./State College Area) who put a shot on goal that Smith redirected to the back of the cage.
Mercy answered back with a pair of fourth quarter goals that came exactly 60 seconds apart. Nixon would add the answer late in the 55th minute with the game-tying goal that would eventually force overtime. Working all by herself, Nixon took a restart pass from the back just inside the midfield, dribbled all the way into the arc where she fired a shot to the opposite corner, sneaking it just inside of the upright.
After multiple attempts at a game-winner before time expired in the fourth, New Haven would need an extra 91 seconds to secure the victory. For the third time on the day working off a penalty corner, Nixon broke off the corner of the arc and was able to get in position to redirect a shot from the top of the arc taken by Kelli Jacobson (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) into the cage for the game-winner.
New Haven will ride the victory into Saturday afternoon when they return to the Blue and Gold turf of DellaCamera Stadium to welcome the No. 9 Saint Anselm Hawks with a 1:00 p.m. start on the schedule. All of the action from West Haven is slated to air live on NE10 Now on Flo College.
