POTSDAM, N.Y.- SUNY Potsdam women's soccer team (1-1) and New England College (2-1) opened the first round of the 2015 Potsdam Cup with victories. The Bears held on strong against Keuka College (0-2) to defeat them 1-0, while the Pilgrims cruised to a 1-0 win over Sage Colleges (1-1).
 
Potsdam led Keuka in shots 13-3 during the first half of play, but neither team was able to find the back of the net with Bear goalie Val Driscoll (Yorktown, N.Y./Yorktown) and Wolfpack keeper Kenna Kosinski (Mumford, N.Y./Caledonia-Mumford) between the posts.
 
Potsdam didn't allow the heat to get to them after the break. Just nine minutes into the second half, sophomore midfielder Brooke Falsion (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) dribbled up the field with two defenders in her path. She made a cross in front of the Keuka's net to freshman forward Olivia Seamans (Bolton Landing, N.Y./Bolton), who sent a shot past Kosinski for her first collegiate goal.  Potsdam's defense stayed in control of the Wolfpack offense most of the game with only allowing four shots total, while the Bears managed to get 24 shots off.
 
Driscoll got her first win of the season with three saves. Kosinski stopped 11 in the loss. Potsdam held the advantage in corner kicks, 12-2. The victory is the Bears' first over the Wolfpack in the teams' 10 meetings.
 
 
New England College 1, Sage Colleges 0
 
In the day's final game of the tournament, New England and Sage battled most of the first half in the 80-degree heat with the Pilgrims holding the advantage in shots 4-2. The Pilgrims broke through with less than three minutes to go in the period. Freshman midfielder Cameron Szuch (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) fired a shot that bounced off of Gator goalie Emaleigh Maloney's (Troy, N.Y./Lansingburgh) shins. Junior forward Emily Gubbins (Westmoreland, N.Y./Westmoreland) rebounded and struck it by Maloney to break the tie and take the lead into the half. New England's defense stepped up in the second period and only allowed Sage one shot. After multiple close saves by Maloney and a goal called off by offsides, the Pilgrims held on to take the 1-0 victory.
 
Maloney finished with five saves in the loss, while her counterpart Mackenzie Meegan (Phoeniz, Ariz./Desert Vista) stopped three for the win. Both teams recorded three corner kicks during the contest.
 
The teams switch partners tomorrow. The Wolfpack takes on the Gators at 12 p.m. and the Bears square off with last year's Potsdam Cup Champion, the Pilgrims, to determine this year's victor at 2:30 p.m.