SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The third-seeded Union College women's soccer team started off its 2026 Liberty League Tournament journey with a convincing 2-0 victory over sixth-seeded St. Lawrence University on Tuesday evening at College Park Field.
With the win, Union (7-4-7) advances to the semifinal round, where the Garnet Chargers will take on second-seeded and IWSOC #15 Vassar College on Friday, November 6 at 11 a.m. in Poughkeepsie.
The Garnet Chargers had the better of play for a majority of the evening against St. Lawrence (6-6-6), outshooting the Saints by an 18-7 margin. The team's 18 shots and 11 on-target attempts are both tied for second-most in a game this season, behind only totals accumulated against Bard College.
While the Garnet Chargers only held a slight edge in possession in the first half, Union generated most of the offensive opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. The home team nearly struck twice in the opening 20 minutes, but a half-volley by first-year Maya Atwood floated off the top of the bar in the 12th minute and a shot from the top of the box by junior Addison MacDonald was deftly parried away from the top corner by SLU keeper Reagan Murphy at the 17:40 mark.
Union finally got on the board in the 30th minute, when sophomore Kayla Coviello was taken down going for a pass in the box. Senior Hannah Sams stepped to the penalty spot and found the near-side netting to beat a diving Murphy and put Union up 1-0 with her team-leading fourth goal of the year.
The advantage doubled for Union with less than four minutes remaining before the half, when Coviello took a free kick from the top of the box that snuck past Murphy at the left post for her second goal of the season.
The home team kept the pressure on to start the second half as well, taking four shots in the first six minutes and requiring two more saves by Murphy. The SLU keeper needed three more stops to keep the Garnet Chargers from further extending their lead by the 67-minute mark, as Union allowed St. Lawrence little to no time in the offensive third.
The Saints had their first good opportunity in the 69th minute when Aver Asom had a shot from close range that sailed over the bar. The visitors took three more shots over the final eight minutes to an attempt to get back into the game, but senior Maya Koster made two saves to preserve her 10th shutout of the season and seal the win.