For Immediate Release
December 1, 2011
Pensacola, Fla. – The College of Saint Rose women's soccer team defeated Armstrong Atlantic State University 2-0 on Thursday afternoon in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals at Ashton Brosnaham Park on the campus of the University of West Florida.
With the victory, the No. 10 Golden Knights advanced to the national title game where they will take on Grand Valley State University this Saturday, December 3 at 1:30 p.m.
Saint Rose (23-1-1) had reached the national semifinals in each of the last three seasons, but 2011 marks the first time in program history the Golden Knights will play for the national championship.
The top-ranked Lakers from Grand Valley State are the reigning two-time defending NCAA Division II champions. They battled to a 1-1 double overtime draw with Chico State University on Thursday before advancing to the finals on penalty kicks.
For the Golden Knights, Carmelina Puopolo tallied the game-winner against Armstrong Atlantic just 6:36 into the contest, as her corner kick from the right side bent in for the unassisted strike. The goal was her 17th of the season.
Saint Rose struck again with just under 15 minutes remaining in the first half, as Gianna D'Errico took a pass from Brittany Barry up the middle and into the box before finding the back of the net for an insurance goal. It marked D'Errico's seventh tally of the season.
Goalkeeper Jessica Gerski turned away all five shots she faced to nail down the shutout for Saint Rose.
The Golden Knights outshot the No. 7 Pirates, 15-13, and also won the corner kick battle, 10-3.
Follow the Northeast-10 Conference on Twitter (@TheNortheast10) for live updates from Saturday's national title game between Saint Rose and Grand Valley State.
The championship contest can also be viewed live online at NCAA.com on Saturday afternoon.
To view the interactive bracket for the 2011 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship, click here.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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