FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2015
Golden Knights, Panthers Claim Semifinal Victories to Advance to NE-10 Finals
The top two seeds in the Northeast-10 Women's Soccer Championship, Adelphi and Saint Rose, came away victorious in the semifinal round on Friday night and will meet in the NE-10 title game on Sunday at 1 p.m. from Adelphi's Motamed Field. The second-seeded Golden Knights defeated sixth-seeded Assumption in the earlier game, 3-1, while Adelphi worked double overtime to get past Merrimack, 2-1 in the nightcap.
#1 Adelphi 2, #5 Merrimack 1 (2OT) | BOX SCORE
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – A goal in the 107th minute of double overtime by Victoria Antonino lifted the Adelphi University women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory in the Northeast-10 Conference semifinal against Merrimack. With the win, the Panthers advance to their third NE-10 Championship Final in four years.
Despite a 17-1 shot advantage in the first half for the Panthers, the lone shot taken by the Warriors was enough to jump ahead 1-0. In the 18th minute, a chip forward sprung Mia Reed ahead of the pack off a Victoria Carter set up. Reed then beat Anne Marie Ulliac low with a strike just outside the 18-yard box.
On top of the shot margin, the Brown and Gold also were ahead in corners kicks 4-0. Only two of the 17 shots went on-target as Meghan Gulbrandsen made both stops keep Adelphi off the board.
The continued pressure for the Adelphi offense finally paid off in the second half as Kelsey Simpson found space on the left side, sending a shot that was initially saved by Gulbrandsen before Morgan Santoro struck in the rebound to even the match at 1-1 in the 66th minute.
The Brown and Gold finished regulation with a 28-4 shot advantage as well as a 6-4 corner kick lead. Gulbrandsen had registered four saves in the first 90 minutes while Ulliac made two in the second half.
In the first 10 minutes of overtime, Gulbrandsen made three saves for the Warriors to preserve the tie that included a diving save to stop a Nunez header. However, the seventh shot of the overtime period was the key for the Panthes as Antonino finished in front of the net a deflected ball from Nunez to push the Panthers to the Final game.
Adelphi finished with a 35-5 advantage in shots while also leading in corner kicks, 7-4. Gulbrandsen finished with seven saves in the effort while Ulliac stopped three shots of her own.
#2 Saint Rose 3, #6 Assumption 1 | BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y. – The College of Saint Rose scored twice in the second half and rebounded from a 1-0 deficit to upend visiting sixth seed Assumption 3-1 in tonight's Northeast-10 semifinal. The second seed Golden Knights (15-2-3), who are ranked #18 in this week's NSCAA National Poll, will now meet top seed Adelphi in Sunday's championship match.
Saint Rose, which reached the 15-win plateau for the tenth consecutive year this evening, will be aiming for its eighth NE-10 title within the past nine years.
The Golden Knights got to this juncture in part because of sophomore forward Morgan Burchhardt who recorded her third two-goal match of the year today.
However, Assumption (10-8-1) gained an early edge as Saint Rose surrendered just its sixth first half strike this fall. Freshman midfielder Jessica Fitzgerald got it started by deflecting a ball to sophomore forward Amanda Arnold who took one dribble to her left to create space, and lofted a shot into the top-left corner for her league leading 11th strike of the season.
Seven minutes later, Burchhardt leveled it when she gathered in a loose ball off a long volley and flicked it over Assumption junior keeper Emily Kuzma to make it 1-1 in the wake of a sudden downpour.
The Golden Knights then developed consecutive corner kicks for Burchhardt. Kuzma knocked down her second strike off of Saint Rose senior forward Jennifer Busk for what proved to be the game-winner midway through the second period. Burchhardt afforded the Golden Knights some breathing room when she one-timed a long rebound from 20-yards out with 12:56 remaining.
Kuzma came up with a pair of saves for the Greyhounds, while Saint Rose freshman keeper Madison Taylor was called upon to turn aside one threat-on-target.
Additional information for this release provided by the sports information staffs at Adelphi and Saint Rose.
2015 Northeast-10 Women's Soccer Championship
Tuesday, November 3rd
Quarterfinals
Match 1:#1 Adelphi 1, #8 So. Connecticut 0
Match 2: #2 Saint Rose, #7 New Haven 0 (STR advance 4-1 on PK's)
Match 3: #6 Assumption 0, #3 American Int'l 0 (ASM advance 5-3 on PK's)
Match 4: #5 Merrimack 2, #4 So. New Hampshire 1 (OT)
Friday, November 6th
Semifinals (hosted by higher seeds)
Match 5: #1 Adelphi 2, #5 Merrimack 1 (2 OT)
Match 6: #2 Saint Rose 3, #6 Assumption 1
Sunday, November 8th
Championship (hosted by highest remaining seed)
Match 7: #2 Saint Rose at #1 Adelphi - 1 p.m.
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 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 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 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 Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
