FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The four even-seeded teams, including 8th-seeded Merrimack, all posted wins during the Quarterfinal Round of the 2017 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Soccer Championship earlier. Here's how it all went down -
8 Merrimack 2, #1 Adelphi 1
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Merrimack upset #6 Adelphi in the NE10 Championship Quarterfinal, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon at Adelphi's Motamed Field. The Warriors will now play in the NE10 Semifinals on Friday afternoon at Franklin Pierce.
Merrimack had pressure early to start the contest and capitalized with a goal in the eighth minute as junior Tori Daigle raced down the right side of the field and sent a cross into the middle of the box, where the ball found the head of senior Sarah Boucher to give the Warriors an early 1-0 lead. The Warriors took advantage of an own goal to take a 2-0 lead, as the ball sent off the head an Adelphi defender into the Panthers' net.
The Panthers answered quickly as Savannah Taylor headed the ball into the upper left corner of the net in the 30th minute. Adelphi had a penalty kick with 7:04 left in the first half, but sophomore keeper Erin Fulton made a diving stop towards the left post to keep a 2-1 Merrimack lead.
#2 SNHU 2, #7 Bentley 0
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Abigail Maker would score for Southern New Hampshire in the eighth minute of their NE10 Quarterfinal game, and that would be all the offense the Penmen would need as they would go on to a 2-0 win. With the win, SNHU advances to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2012.
Trisha Luis would add her team-leading ninth of the goal of the season late in the contest to provide some insurance for the Penmen, who will now host Assumption in one NE10 semifinal on Friday. Paige Salmon made two stops in net for her 11th shutout of the season. Bentley's Kat Hassapis made 10 saves in a losing effort for the Falcons.
#6 Assumption 3, #3 Saint Rose 0
ALBANY N.Y. - Junior Kallie Villemaire, pictured, scored a hat trick and broke the Assumption single season scoring record as the Hounds upset Saint Rose on the road in the opening round of the NE10 Championship tonight.
Villemaire put the Hounds up 1-0 in the ninth minute of action when she intercepted a pass from the defense and dribbled down the right flank, firing a shot into the far corner of the net. She then doubled the Assumption lead just under three minutes later when she took a pass from junior Jessica FitzGerald that split the defense, before curling a shot around the keeper. The Plattsburgh, New York native completed her hat trick in the 28th minute as she dribbled down the left side of the box and perfectly placed a low shot out of the reach of the goalkeeper. With that goal, Villemaire broke the single season scoring record for Assumption, giving her 20 goals on the season.
Sophomore keeper Alexis Nason was outstanding in net for Assumption, as she made six saves, while also saving a crucial penalty shot in the 14th minute of the first half.
4 Franklin Pierce 1, #5 Pace 0
RINDGE, N.H. – After a two-year hiatus, Franklin Pierce returned to the postseason with quiet dominance on Tuesday afternoon at Sodexo Field. The fourth-seeded Ravens piled up a 16-5 advantage in shots and surrendered little in the way of quality scoring threats on the way to a 1-0 win over fifth-seeded Pace in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship at Sodexo Field. Sophomore midfielder Veronica Marques provided the day's lone goal in the 37th minute.
With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 11-3-2 and advances to the semifinal round, while Pace concludes its season at 9-9-1. By virtue of Merrimack's 2-1, upset win at Adelphi, the Ravens will be home in the semifinal round as well. Franklin Pierce will host eighth-seeded Merrimack on Friday, Nov. 3, with opening kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field.
The game's only goal came in the 37th minute. Making a run on the left side of the field, Marques took a feed from the left wing by sophomore forward Sophie Cousineau. Marques one-touched the ball past her defender at the top of the penalty area, caught up with the ball inside the box and fired a shot inside the far post for her fifth goal of the season, and her third game-winning goal in just five games with the Ravens.
2017 NE10 Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Tuesday, October 31
Quarterfinals
Match 1: #8 Merrimack 2, #1 Adelphi 1
Match 2: #2 Southern New Hampshire 2, #7 Bentley 0
Match 3: #6 Assumption 3, #3 Saint Rose 0
Match 4: #4 Franklin Pierce 1, #5 Pace 0
Friday, November 3
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: #8 Merrimack at #4 Franklin Pierce | Time 4:00pm
Match 6: #6 Assumption at #2 SNHU | Time TBA
Sunday, November 5
Championship – at Highest Seed
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner
*Please note that the championship game time shall be 1:00 PM.
Additional information for this release provided by the athletic communications staffs at Assumption, Franklin Pierce, and Merrimack
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.