West Hartford - Her first six shots either sailed wide or Albany goalie Alana Brennan prevented them from finding the back of the net.

Senior Chanel Johnson still remained confident.

Odds favored that Johnson, the University of Hartford women's soccer team's lethal scorer, would eventually deliver a goal on a warm Sunday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.

With the America East Conference opener winding down, Johnson buried her team-leading eighth goal of the season in the 74th minute, accounting for the game-winner in a 1-0 victory.

"It happens every game for me, honestly, where I get 10 chances and I don't finish them before I get my final chance and I end up putting one away," Johnson said.

The goal was vintage Johnson, a talented and tenacious 5-foot-6 forward/midfielder from New London.

She collected a pass from junior Sidney Spremullo, dribbled toward an Albany defender, used her strength to slip into the clear and skill to bury the perfectly-placed shot into the corner from about 18-yards out.

It was her fourth game-winning goal this season.

"She's physically that much better than everyone right now," Hartford coach John Natale said. "She has speed, power, strength, and she morphed into this player over the last couple of years. It's been exceptional to see her grow from where she was as a freshman to where she is now as a senior.

"She's really being a leader. She's playing like a senior. And when we need a goal, we can count on her."

Johnson has been as reliable as the sunrise for the Hawks the past two seasons. As a junior, she earned America East striker of the year honors after scoring a career-high nine goals.

After working on her game and fitness level over the summer, Johnson has continued to terrorize opposing defenses and deliver in the clutch.

"I lost some weight and I got stronger and I got faster…," said Johnson of the difference in her game between last season and this season. "I realized that my career is slowly ending and after this I might not ever play soccer again.

"I don't want it to end. It's a scary feeling."

She started the season with back-to-back deciding goals in shutout wins over Bryant University and New Jersey Institute of Technology.

On Sunday, she was a constant pest. She misfired on three good chances, including hitting the side of the goal from close range, in the first half. Brennan blocked Johnson's breakaway attempt minutes into the second half and then deflected a rocket wide.

But Johnson kept attacking and eventually produced a quality game-winning goal for the Hawks, who improved to 5-2-3 overall.

She's almost unstoppable despite being the focus of opposing defenses.

"Before the whistle even blows, you know who she is," Natale said. "You know she's coming at you for 90 minutes. And you may be good enough for 60 or 70 minutes, but she's going to break you down."

During the recruiting process, Natale saw enormous potential in Johnson, who scored or assisted on every goal during her four-year career at New London and learned to be a leader. She developed into a Division I player while competing with Oakwood Soccer Club.

Johnson's college soccer career got off to a slow start. She went scoreless her first two seasons, appearing in 36 games. She soaked up as much knowledge as she could from the upperclassmen while patiently waiting her turn.

Now she's on target to win her second straight conference striker of the year award.

"When we recruited her, we knew she was going to be excellent," Natale said. "We knew she was going to be one of the best strikers in the conference. To see it happen is a whole another thing. To watch her grown into that role, it's very rewarding as a coach."

Johnson, a psychology major, is determined to finish her career by leading the Hawks to an America East Championship.

"Every year we end in either the finals or semifinals," Johnson said, "so we're looking to get to that same spot this year and actually win it."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe