Dodge Gets Shutout #30 in Scoreless Tie

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior Goalkeeper Melissa Dodge (Watertown, Conn.) made 14 saves to set a new career school record with her 30th shutout, but the Blue Jays were also unable to score as the USJ soccer team played to a scoreless overtime tie against Emmanuel Saturday in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference game at USJ. 

USJ goes to 8-7-1 overall and finished conference play at 6-4-1. Emmanuel is 10-8-1 and finished 8-2-1 in the GNAC. 

Dodge's 30th shutout broke a tie With Cait Witham, who had 29 from 2006-09. Dodge made eight saves in the first half and four in overtime.

Emmanuel's Courtney Freadman (Richmond, Mass.) had a penalty shot with 10 seconds left in the game after a collision with Dodge, but her effort sailed about five feet over the crossbar.

Emmanuel outshot USJ on the day 26-17 overall and 15-6 in shots on goal. The Saints also had the only two corner kicks on the day.

Kayla Generis (Wethersfield, Conn.) had the best two chances for the Saints in the first half. The first came with 26 minutes left in the half, but Dodge jumped high and deflected it off the crossbar. The second came with twenty minutes left when she caught Dodge out of position. The Blue Jays were bailed out by the defense, as Lindsay Cifaldi (Wolcott, Conn.) came across to deflect the shot out of harms way.

Generis had a team-best seven shots on the day for Emmanuel and Morgan Skoly (Vernon, Conn.) generated seven for the Blue Jays.

USJ honored its six seniors before they played the final regular-season home games of their careers: Dodge, Cifaldi, Sara Barnick (Watertown, Conn.) Emily Burke (Windsor Locks, Conn.), Jaclyn Steeves (Everett, Mass.) and Michelle Turkington (Cromwell, Conn.). The group has combined to be a big part of the 44-22-7 team record over the past four years.