WORCESTER, Mass. (August 19, 2026) – The Stonehill College women's soccer team came up short under the lights at Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium in Worcester, Massachusetts, Wednesday night, falling 3-2 to non-conference opponent Holy Cross. With the result, the Skyhawks move to 0-1-2 overall, while the Crusaders improve to 1-1-1 on the young season.
Highlights
How it Happened
Holy Cross wasted little time pressing the Stonehill defense, generating five corner kicks within the opening six minutes. In the 10th minute, the Crusaders broke through to open the scoring when Abigail Cushing netted her first goal of the season off an assist from Sam Halligan.
After a back-and-forth middle portion of the first half, the Skyhawks' defense and Hamel continued to stand tall to keep the Crusaders' lead at one. Stonehill would eventually find its equalizer at the 33:04 mark, when Cassidy corralled a pass from Renz at the top of the 18-yard box before sending a right-footed shot into the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
Coming out of the halftime break, Stonehill and Holy Cross continued to battle back and forth up and down the pitch, with the score remaining tied at 1-1. In the 66th and 71st minutes, respectively, both Cushing and Cassidy narrowly missed opportunities to net their second goals of the night. Cushing sent a shot just high of the Skyhawks' cage, while Cassidy's point-blank bid was stifled by the Crusaders' backline.
At the 79:11 mark, Halligan snuck a shot through the Skyhawks' defense and past a sprawling Hamel to give Holy Cross a 2-1 advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Less than two minutes later, however, the dynamic duo of Cassidy and Renz connected once again. This time, Cassidy found Renz, who buried her first goal of the season to level the score at 2-2.
Despite the late equalizer, Stonehill would be unable to hold off the Crusaders. A penalty kick awarded to Holy Cross inside the final three minutes was taken by Halligan, who converted for her second goal of the night and the eventual game-winner, sealing the 3-2 victory for the Crusaders.
Up Next
Stonehill (0-1-2, 0-0-0 NEC) returns to action on Thursday, August 27, traveling to take on non-conference opponent Providence College at 6:30 p.m.
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