FRANKLIN, Mass. – October 28, 2021 – The Dean College women's soccer team dropped a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match to the University of Saint Joseph, 4-2, at Grant Field Thursday afternoon. The contest was the regular season finale for both teams.

Dean ends its season at 3-9-3 overall. The Bulldogs posted a 3-9-1 conference record in their first season with the GNAC. USJ concludes the regular season at 12-3-1 overall and locked up the fourth slot in the GNAC standings with a 9-3-1 conference record.  

The Blue Jays struck in the 36th minute when sophomore forward Riley Jackson (Newington, Conn.) sent a bending ball towards the left side of the goal. Dean first-year goalie Haley Gaunt (Johnston, R.I.) was able to get a touch on the ball, but it ricocheted off the post and past the goal line for the score.

USJ had a 3-0 shot on goal differential in the first frame and hit a couple of posts.

Less than three minutes into the second, the Blue Jays doubled their lead when junior Maxine Muscatello (Berlin, Conn.) dribbled towards the end line to the right of the goal and sent a shot towards net that snuck inside the far post. The goal was her team leading eighth of the season.

The Bulldogs answered two minutes later to cut the deficit in half. Junior Jazzy Sztyler-Magee (Burlington, Conn.) was on the right side of the 18-yard box when she curved a ball past the goalie into the left corner.

The flurry of second half action continued in the 54th minute with a game-tying goal by Sztyler-Magee. A throw-in was sent in the direction of Sztyler-Magee who was able to corral the ball and turn away from her defender. She then sent a bouncing ball into the left side of the net to tie the match at 2-2 with her team leading fifth goal of the season.

Four minutes later, USJ retook the lead on a nice play in front of the Dean goal. Muscatello, who was at the top of the 18-yard box, found Jackson at the top of the 6-yard box. Jackson quickly one-touched the ball past the diving Dean keeper into the right side of the net.

The Blue Jays tacked on an insurance goal in the 86th minute. Muscatello set up sophomore teammate Molly Hussey (Beacon Falls, Conn.) for her first goal of the season.

Gaunt finished the match with eight saves for the Bulldogs. Sophomore goalie Victoria Schaffner (Waterbury, Conn.) earned the win for USJ.