Saint Rose and Assumption to Host Semifinal Games on Thursday.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - Southern Connecticut, the reigning Northeast-10 Conference finalist, knocked off top-seeded Southern New Hampshire on Sunday in the NE10 Women's Soccer Championship quarterfinals - one of two upsets on the day - to punch its ticket to the semifinals on Thursday. The Owls will visit No. 4-seeded Assumption, while No. 2-seeded Saint Rose will host No. 6-seeded Saint Anselm.
Saint Anselm joined Southern Connecticut with a quarterfinal upset of No. 3-seeded Bentley, as two of the top three teams in the NE10 standings were eliminated on the first day of the Championship. Saint Rose muscled its way to a 1-0 victory over No. 7-seeded Adelphi, while Assumption needed a penalty kick shootout to oust No. 5-seeded Franklin Pierce.
(8) Southern Connecticut 2, (1) Southern New Hampshire 1 - Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. - The No. 8-seeded Southern Connecticut women's soccer team upset the No. 1-seeded Southern New Hampshire, 2-1, at Penmen Stadium to advance to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship semifinals. The Owls improved to 7-7-3 overall, while the Penmen's record is now 13-3-1 overall.
After going down a goal in the first two and a half minutes of play, the Owls rattled off two unanswered goals in the second half to shock the top seed on the road.
How It Happened
- Alyssa Anderson put SNHU on top with the opening goal in the third minute of play.
- Southern Connecticut scored the equalizer in the 69th minute as junior Julia Casimiro launched a ball off a set piece that found junior Julia Alicea on the left post for the redirect in.
- In the 76th minute, graduate student Nadine Hilkert earned a free kick after being fouled six yards outside the box. Hilkert teed up a shot to the top left corner beyond the reach of Penmen keeper Hannah Rose to put the Owls up by one with 14 minutes remaining in regulation.
- The Owls were able to hold off the Penmen attack for the remainder of the game to clinch a spot in the NE10 semifinals.
(2) Saint Rose 1, (7) Adelphi 0 - Box Score
ALBANY, N.Y. - Saint Rose scored early and then held off Adelphi throughout the final 45 minutes to grab a 1-0 victory in today's Northeast-10 Conference Championship quarterfinal at Sullivan Field within the Plumeri Sports Complex.
The Golden Knights (13-1-3), ranked #8 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Weekly National Poll, will now host Saint Anselm in a semifinal encounter Thursday at Sullivan Field. Kickoff is set for 4:00 pm. The sixth seed Hawks (10-5-1) moved forward with today's 1-0 victory at third seed Bentley.
As for this afternoon in Albany, sophomore midfielder Lauren Amerena finished a feed that was lined off the right flank by junior midfielder Janina Mueller with only 10:55 expired. Amerena collected the pass from about 12 yards out, and deposited her shot inside the near right post.
The goal held up as the game-winner in a contest that yielded few dangerous opportunities between two sides that played to a scoreless draw a week ago on the same pitch.
(6) Saint Anselm 1, (3) Bentley 0 - Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Saint Anselm women's soccer team downed Bentley by a 1-0 score on Sunday afternoon in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship quarterfinals.
The sixth-seeded Hawks improve to 10-5-1 on the season while Bentley falls to 8-6-3 on the season. Saint Anselm, who is the fourth-ranked team in the East Region according to United Soccer Coaches will face-off with the second seed in the NE10 playoffs and the eighth-ranked team nationally in Saint Rose on Thursday, Nov. 11.
The quarterfinal win is the first for the Saint Anselm women's soccer program since Oct. 24, 2006 when the Hawks downed former conference foe UMass Lowell, who now is in the NCAA Division I ranks.
"I am proud of the performance today as the group got a boost when we got a few student-athletes back from injuries and their preparation was incredible for this match," said head coach Joel Bancroft. "When we lost four days ago, we felt we could make some adjustments in certain areas to find more success today."
Sophomore Olivia Gotobed fired a strike from just inside the 18-yard box, finding the upper right of the goal in the sixth minute, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead on her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
(4) Assumption 0, (5) Franklin Pierce 0 (ASM Advances in PK Shootout, 3-2) - Box Score
After 110 scoreless minutes, No. 4-seeded Assumption outlasted No. 5-seeded Franklin Pierce in a penalty kick shootout, 3-2, on Sunday in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship quarterfinals - advancing to the semifinals for its third time in the past four seasons.
Freshman goalkeeper Julia Walsh posted a seven-save shutout for the Greyhounds, while freshman forward Ashley Wenzel scored the eventual-clinching goal in penalty kicks for Assumption. Franklin Pierce's freshman goalkeeper Gabby Calidonio tallied a five-save shutout for the Ravens.
Assumption will host No. 8-seeded Southern Connecticut on Thursday, following the Owls' stunning upset win over No. 1-seeded Southern New Hampshire in the quarterfinal round.
NE10 Women's Soccer Championship
Sunday, November 7th
Quarterfinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #8 Southern Connecticut 2, #1 Southern New Hampshire 1
Match 2: #2 Saint Rose 1, #7 Adelphi 0
Match 3: #6 Saint Anselm 1, #3 Bentley 0
Match 4: #4 Assumption 0, #5 Franklin Pierce 0 (ASM Advances in PK Shootout, 3-2)
Thursday, November 11th
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: #8 Southern Connecticut at #4 Assumption - 7:00 p.m.
Match 6: #6 Saint Anselm at #2 Saint Rose - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 14th
Championship – at Highest Seed
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner
-Releases provided by Saint Rose, Saint Anselm and SCSU Athletic Communications-
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 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.
