LYNDON CENTER, Vt. – It was the final home contest for four Lyndon seniors as the Johnson State Badgers earned the 4-1 victory over Lyndon Saturday in North Atlantic Conference play.

Lindi Libera, Katy Ebner, Sarah Cornell, and Kaitlyn Riendeau all played their final game in a Hornet uniform and the emotions from the pre-game may have gotten the better of Lyndon as it found itself down 1-0 just 38 seconds into the contest.

"It was a poor clearance on a cross and the ball just didn't bounce our way," said Lyndon Head Coach Sean Bliss. "They produced the goal."

Johnson extended its lead to two when Shannon Larkin found a wide-open Kylie Aither in front of the Hornet goal. She was able to beat Lyndon goalkeeper Marley Harmon on the short side. She made five saves in the loss.

"We didn't have any ball luck," said Bliss. "Hats off to Johnson they did play a great game and they were able to capitalize on their chances."

Lyndon's lone goal came when Ebner found Shelby Sheridan in front of the Johnson net off a throw in. Sheridan trapped the ball and was able to beat Badger keeper Amber McCullock from just inside the 18-meter line. She made four saves in the victory.

"I thought we had most of the momentum," said Bliss. "I'm very proud of the girls they all played great today."

Johnson added two more goals in the second half to seal the 4-1 victory. Aither scored her second of the game when Shannon Grier lofted a corner-kick toward goal where Aither jumped into the air and headed it over Harmon's extended arm into the net. Alexa Jakiela scored Johnson's fourth goal when she stole the ball from a Lyndon defender and shot it past Harmon on the far side.

"We felt that we gave them the goals more than they earned them," said Bliss. "It was a tough season because we were inconsistent which was our downfall but when we were winning, we were a good team."

Johnson finishes their season at 8-8-1 overall and 3-5-1 in NAC play while Lyndon finishes its season 5-13 overall and 1-8 in NAC play.  

"The first goal is going to be to try and replace these seniors," said Bliss. "They were some of the best players on the field day-in and day-out."

He also spoke about how happy he was with the teams performance and effort, especially the seniors that played their final home contest this afternoon.

"I'm extremely proud of our seniors," said Bliss. "Anyone watching the game today saw that when they were out there that they were giving it their all."

By Matthew Drew, Sports Information Assistant