Lasell, JWU, Emmanuel, USJ Advance to GNAC Women's Soccer Semifinals
The 2015 GNAC Women's Soccer Tournament got underway on Saturday afternoon with quarterfinal action.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
#3 EMMANUEL 0, #6 ALBERTUS MAGNUS 0 (EC ADVANCES ON PKs, 3-2)
BOSTON, Mass. - Emmanuel College Women's Soccer goalkeeper Tori LaRoche saved two penalty kicks and scored the game-winner in the fifth round of the shootout to lift the Saints to a 0-0 (3-2 PK) victory over Albertus Magnus in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Clemente Field.
In a game that belonged to the goalkeepers from the opening minutes, LaRoche proved to be the difference-maker for the Saints once again, stopping two penalties and then scoring in the fifth and final round to earn the victory.
Neither team had a shot on goal in the opening 24 minutes, as players on both sides settled into the flow of the match. Each goalkeeper made three saves in the following 21 minutes, sending the game to halftime in a scoreless draw.
The Saints dominated the second half, outshooting Albertus Magnus 12-2 and putting five shots on goal compared to one by the Falcons.
Emmanuel opened the half by putting five shots towards the AMC goal in the opening seven minutes, but Falcons goalkeeper Maria Case was able to stand her ground.
Perhaps the best chance of regulation came with 22 minutes left when senior captain Katelyn Fink drilled a shot from outside of the 18-yard box and forced Case to leap towards the upper 90 to push the ball over the crossbar and out of play.
Albertus Magnus responded with a stellar chance on the other end as Acacia Nelson beat two defenders and tried to tiptoe through the EC penalty area. Emily David, who had just re-entered the game off the bench, stepped up and made a great defensive play to strip Nelson of the ball and keep the Falcons off the board.
In the two overtime periods, Emmanuel continued to apply pressure, outshooting AMC 7-2 overall. Freshman Mikayla Guthrie took a volley from just off the end line and drilled the crossbar, missing the winner by inches.
Both teams started slowly in the penalty kick shootout, as neither side scored in the first two rounds. Angelina Piccirillo and Maggie Carey both scored in round three, with Carey's shot bouncing off the post and trickling over the goal line. Bridget Judd and Fink each toed the line and converted in the fourth round, setting up the fifth round, which was effectively sudden death.
LaRoche made a great read on Victoria Lavery's attempt and pushed the ball out of bounds. With the game on the line, the Emmanuel goalkeeper placed the ball on the spot, stared down Case in the goal, and drilled a sure-footed strike into the back of the goal before sprinting to celebrate with her teammates.
Courtesy of Emmanuel Athletics Communications.
#1 LASELL 7, #8 RIVIER 1
NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell College women's soccer team secured a spot in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinal match with a 7-1 win over Rivier University Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field. The win extends the Lasers' record to 13-4-2 overall, while the Raiders conclude their 2015 campaign at 6-10-1.
Juniors Megan Cullen (Amesbury, Mass.) and Devon Day(Hartland, Vt.) scored twice in the winning effort for Lasell, while sophomore Casey Meissner (Sandwich, Mass.) and freshmen Sabrina Morais (Arlington, Mass.) and Carly Zdanek(Newton, N.J.) added a single tally apiece. Junior Maggie Cohoon (Derry, N.H.) netted the lone goal for the Raiders, assisted by senior Hayley Barnard (Bedford, N.H.).
The Lasers put up three goals in the first 12 minutes, capped by a Cullen rocket from junior Erin Smith (Gorham, Maine). Leading 6-0 after the halftime break, the Lasers were awarded with a free kick in the 53rd minute following a Rivier foul. Day lined up for the opportunity just outside the 18-yard-box, and sent a textbook ball to frame that skimmed the far post and routed into the net.
After 30 minutes of scoreless soccer, Barnard snuck a shot on goal that was originally stopped by freshman keeper Macie Sicard (Colchester, Vt.), but Cohoon was there to put away the rebound for the visitors' first tally of the game. Lasell remained composed throughout the closing minutes of the quarterfinal match, and secured the 7-1 victory as the clock struck 90:00 at Taylor Field.
Lasell sophomore keeper Sarah LaClair (Belchertown, Mass.) recorded a single save in 45 minutes to start the contest, advancing her overall record to 11-4-1. FreshmanCarly Heintz (Simsbury, Conn.) stood in between the pipes for 33:53 of the second half recording three saves, while Sicard finished the game with two saves in 11:07 minutes of work. Sophomore net minder Lauren Goodspeed (Merrimack, N.H.) turned away eight shots on net for the visitors, and closes out the year at 6-10-1.
The Lasers dominated the shot column 24-14, and held a slim 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Courtesy of Lasell Athletics Communications.
#5 USJ 1, #4 SIMMONS 0
BOSTON, Mass. – University of Saint Joseph first-year midfielder Sarah Palko (Southington, Conn.) scored a second-half goal and senior keeper Melissa Dodge (Watertown, Conn.) made it stand up with yet another shutout to lead the fifth-seeded Blue Jays to a 1-0 soccer victory over No. 4 Simmons College Saturday Winsor Field in a quarterfinal game of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.
The Blue Jays extend their unbeaten streak to six games to improve to 10-7-1 and advance to a semifinal to take on top-seeded Lasell College, Tue. Nov. 3 at Lasell beginning at 1:30 p.m. Lasell defeated No. 8 Rivier University, 7-1 Saturday in its quarterfinal. Simmons finished its season 9-10.
The contest was very similar to the teams' first meeting of the season, where Simmons controlled the possession and dominated the shots, only to be edged by a lone goal off the foot of a Blue Jays' first year. The Sharks owned a 19-5 shot advantage, including 12-3 in the second half, but could not find the back of the net. Simmons also held a 6-1 margin on corner kicks.
Palko carried the ball to the top of the box for Saint Joseph and unleashed a left-footed shot into the upper right corner out of the reach of the Sharks' keeper with 25:07 left to play in the second half for a 1-0 lead. It was all the scoring the Blue Jays would need as the defense kept the final six shots from knotting the game for Simmons, including a shot off the post with less than four minutes to play from senior midfielder Ali Berkman (Natick, Mass.).
The Sharks also had a pair of scoring opportunities nullified by offside calls in the first half. Simmons opened the second half by putting three shots on net in the first five minutes, including strikes from senior forward Greer Gilbert (Falmouth, Mass.), Berkman and first year forward Ciara Forde (Quincy, Mass.).
But Dodge was outstanding for Saint Joseph, making nine saves, including a few that came off headers. She extended her career school record with her 31st career shutout and tied the record of Cait Witham (2006-09) by staring her 42nd USJ victory. Dodge has earned shutout in five of USJs past six games and the sixth was a combined shutout. She has gone 554 minutes, 23 seconds in goal without being scored upon and saved the last 50 shots she's faced.
USJ has now won at least 10 games for the eighth consecutive season. The Blue Jays are in their 10th GNAC semifinal game, seventh in the past 10 years, and are seeking their first championship game appearance.
Courtesy of USJ Athletics Communications.
#2 JWU 3, #7 SAINT JOSEPH'S 2
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the second year in a row, the Johnson & Wales University women's soccer team needed more than 90 minutes to advance in the GNAC Tournament. Sophomore Kyra Selner scored six minutes into the overtime period to give the Wildcats a 3-2 win over St. Joseph's of Maine on Saturday at the Scotts Miracle Gro Athletic Complex.
Records:
Johnson & Wales: 12-7-1
St. Joseph's Maine: 9-10
Goalkeepers:
JWU: Alex Place, 3 Saves, 2 Goals; Record: 11-5-1
AMC: Michelle Cunha: 4 Saves, 1 Goal; Record: 3-2
The Lead:
Through the first 82 minutes, it appeared the Wildcats were well on their way to the semifinals with a 2-0 lead. However, the Monks tied the match with two goals in the span of two minutes. JWU had several chances in the extra frame against back-up SJC keeper Michelle Cunha – who came in for the injured Brooke Troup – before Selner (Sterling, Va.) found the back of the net for the second time.
Of Note:
While it wasn't as exciting as last season's GNAC quarterfinal, the Wildcats did need extra time to advance. After neither team scored in 110 minutes of play, JWU beat Simmons, 3-2 in a shootout.
Selner continues to be one of the hottest goal scorers in the GNAC as she scored for the sixth time in the last eight matches. Her 13 goals are the second-most in the league this year and the most at JWU since Samantha Reynolds had 15 in 2010. She's also second in the GNAC with 34 points, the most since Reynolds tallied 41 in 2008.
In addition to scoring two goals of her own, Selner also assisted on Taylor Hopkins' (Warminster, Pa.) goal in the 64th minute. Saturday was the sixth time this season both Selner and Hopkins have scored in the same game. The Wildcats are 6-0 when both players score a goal.
The win against the Monks was the Wildcats' seventh-straight against GNAC opponents and they've gone 11 matches without losing to a conference opponent. Emmanuel was the last team to beat JWU, 2-1, on September 10.
Johnson & Wales won for the 14th game in a row when scoring two or more goals. The last team to top the Wildcats when they score two or more goals was Roger Williams, 6-2, on September 22, 2014.
JWU Statistical Leaders:
Kyra Selner: 2 Goals, 1 Assist
Taylor Hopkins: 1 Goal
Elizabeth Marinaro: 1 Assist
Coachspeak:
"I had such a good angle on the last goal. I think initially (Kyra) was going to take it first time and then she decided to take it down, dribble penetrate and just tuck the goalkeeper. That was a composure thing. What it came down to was her composure in that moment. It was perfect execution and a testament to her. We had probably four other chances where I thought if we were a little bit more composed then we're up thee, four or five goals."
-JWU Head Coach Chris Flint
Up Next:
The Wildcats will play host to Emmanuel in the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The third-seeded Saints beat Albertus Magnus, 3-2, in penalty kicks. Emmanuel is the only GNAC team to beat JWU this year, 2-1, at Emmanuel.
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications.
Quarterfinals - Saturday, October 31
Game 1: #1 Lasell 7, #8 Rivier 1
Game 2: #5 Saint Joseph (Conn.) 1, #4 Simmons 0
Game 3: #3 Emmanuel 0, #6 Albertus Magnus 0 (EC advances on PKs, 3-2)
Game 4: #2 Johnson & Wales 3, #7 Saint Joseph's (Maine) 2
Semifinals - Tuesday, November 3
Game 5: #5 Saint Joseph (Conn.) at #1 Lasell - 1:30 p.m.
Game 6: #3 Emmanuel at #2 Johnson & Wales - 7:00 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, November 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner