POTSDAM — The SUNY Potsdam soccer team (1-0) defeated New England College (0-1) 1-0 and D'Youville College topped Mount Ida College (0-2) 2-0 in the first round of the Potsdam College Cup on Saturday afternoon. Junior forward Jaci Morr (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) scored the game-winner for the Bears, while sophomore forward Kiernan Johnson (Cherry Valley, Ill./Keith School) had a goal and an assist to lead the Spartans.

Potsdam was able to generate strong offensive pressure early in the contest and dominant defense throughout the first half. The Bears first great scoring chance came in the 21st minute as Pilgrims senior goalie Mackenzie Meegan (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista) smothered a Morr offering. Potsdam kept charging and it paid off nearly six minutes later. At the 26:30 mark, junior defender Sami Hubinsky (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) sent a pass up the right side of the field to Morr. She caught the pass, beat a defender and then fired a shot past Meegan into the right corner of the goal. In the 33rd minute, Morr nearly doubled the lead, but was frustrated by Meegan again. The Bears took the one-goal lead and a 12-4 advantage in shots into the break.

Meegan saved two more Morr attempts in the opening six minutes of the second half. The stops seemed to energize New England as they battled evenly with Potsdam the rest of the way. In the 54th minute, Pilgrims senior forward Emily Gubbins (Westmoreland, N.Y./Westmoreland) broke free on the left side of the box and fired a shot off the crossbar. After Bears junior midfielder Becca DeRubertis (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) and senior captain Kaylen Van Wagner (Red Hook, N.Y./Hotchkiss) each unsuccessfully tested Meegan, NEC fired two shots in row on Potsdam senior goalkeeper Bri Thibeau (Salem, N.Y./Salem). The veteran kept the Pilgrims off the board. Pilgrim senior defender Jess Dowson (Winthrop, Mass./Winthrop) and junior forward Sara Locke (Wethersfield, Vt./Springfield) forced Thibeau to make two more saves with just over seven minutes remaining and then Potsdam's defense clamped down the rest of the way.

Thibeau finished with seven saves to earn her 13th career victory and 11th shutout and Meegan stopped 10 shots on the afternoon.

Potsdam outshot NEC 20-9, but the Pilgrims earned a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks.

In the later game, D'Youville took control of the contest offensively early and the defense frustrated Mount Ida for all 90 minutes. Mustangs freshman goalie Kyla Bragg (Sanford, Maine/Sanford) made three saves in the opening 12:28, but the Spartans broke through at 13:11 off a corner kick. Johnson lofted the ball in to the right side of the box and junior defender Breanne Nelson (Caledonia, N.Y./Caledonia-Mumford) headed the ball into the upper right corner of the net for the eventual game-winner. While Bragg made two more saves before the break, the Mustangs were held to just three shots in the opening half.

At the 66:07 mark, D'Youville senior midfielder Rachel Hermanski (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Maryvale) fed Johnson at the right side of the net. Bragg came out to challenge her, but Johnson stepped around her and deposited the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-0. The Spartans' defense allowed just three more shots in the second half, but none reached D'Youville sophomore goalie Megan Dulniak (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Cheektowaga).

Dulniak needed just one save to earn the shutout, while Bragg turned aside seven shots.

The Spartans outshot the Mustangs 18-6 and finished with a 5-4 advantage in corners.

New England College will face Mount Ida at noon tomorrow in the consolation game. The Bears and Spartans will square off in the title contest at 2:30 p.m.