SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Needing a win to stay alive in the Northeast 10 Conference playoff race, the American International College women's soccer team looked to its leadership to deliver that victory.

Deliver, they did.

Lily Shields scored a post-and-in goal off of a feed from her co-captain Alyssa Stetson in the second half and Sara Avery made it stand up with a shutout win as the Yellow Jackets defeated Assumption University 1-0 on Saturday, November 1.

AIC is now 3-9-2 overall with a 2-6-0 NE10 record with one game remaining. 

Assumption was all over AIC in the first half, controlling the midfield and taking advantage of having the wind at its back. The Greyhounds generated eight shot attempts and five corner kicks, but could not hit the net; Avery stopped the two on-target shots she faced.

With the switch of sides, AIC also saw a switch of fortunes to a much more evenly-played game, and just as the contest approached the one-hour mark, the Yellow Jackets broke through.

Stetson made it happen, knocking the ball away from a Greyhound midfielder and driving down the middle, feeding Shields on the right side of the 18. The senior pushed toward the net and fired a shot just out of the reach of the netminder that bent off the left post and into the goal for her third of the season at 59:36.

The goal gave AIC the lead, but the team needed a strong final 30 to hang on for the win. The defense locked in, allowing nothing to get on target despite immense pressure from the Greyhounds, and the clock hit 0:00 with the score still 1-0.

Avery totaled four saves in her first shutout of the season.

AIC next plays Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5. AIC is behind Bentley by two points in the standings, and needs a win to pass the Falcons; additionally, to qualify for the Northeast 10 Championship Tournament, Assumption will need to lose its matchup that day against Saint Michael's College.