SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College women's soccer team found late-game heroics to earn a 2-1 Northeast 10 Conference win over Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, October 8.

AIC is now 2-5-1 overall and 1-2-0 in the NE10.

The first half saw very little in the way of offense until the very end, when the Owls took a 1-0 lead as Shi Reeves wound up and fired an arcing shot that snuck just under the crossbar from 30 yards out at 44:43.

The Yellow Jackets had been knocked down, but not out, and were much more consistent in possession in the second half. After taking just one shot in the opening 45, the Yellow Jackets fired four toward the target in the first 25 minutes of the frame.

Still, the team trailed by a goal, and as the clock ran down, the Yellow Jackets prospects did too, until a foul gave the team a free kick in Owls territory. Elena Nunez served the ball from 40 yards out to the top of the six, where Nicole Kelly headed it out of the reach of Owls netminder Makenzi Pastreck, and Jocelyn Wilson bodied the ball into the net at 73:35 for her second of the season.

With the game now tied, both teams elected to play to win rather than merely playing not to lose. Both sides were able to get the ball deep into opposing territory, but the defenses did their jobs of holding off the opportunities, until, with barely two minutes to play, AIC was able to take advantage of a deep throw in. Lily Shields throw from the left sideline bounced to Julianna Magalhaes, and she fired from five yards above the left corner of the 18-yard box right under the center of the crossbar for her first of the season.

The Owls, suddenly facing a loss, made one final push, putting a shot on Sara Avery that the junior netminder was able to deny, and then drew a corner with under half a minute to play. The visitors pulled Pastreck up to join into the play, but AIC's defense made the final play, clearing the ball away and ending the game with a victory.

In total, Avery made three saves; shots on goal were 4-4, although attempts were 10-8 in favor of Southern Connecticut and corner kicks went 6-0 for the Owls.

AIC will look to add another three points to the NE10 tally on Saturday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. when the team faces Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.