RINDGE, NH – The College of Saint Rose women’s soccer team got its march to a national championship off on the right foot with a 2-0 first-round victory versus Georgian Court (12-7-5) on the campus of Franklin Pierce University this afternoon. The Golden Knights (17-3-2), who are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance within the past seven years, will meet the host Ravens in a second-round match Sunday. Kickoff is set for noon between two clubs who played to a 1-1 draw in last Sunday’s Northeast-10 Conference Championship match that Saint Rose eventually won via penalty kicks.
Sophomore forward
Jordan Bowers and junior midfielder
Lizzie Shegda both scored for the Golden Knights, who outshot Georgian Court by a 16-3 margin. Junior keeper
Shannon Murphy came up with a save in each period to preserve her seventh clean sheet of the season. Junior keeper Lindsay Hammond made four saves for the Lions.
“It’s an NCAA Tournament win. Anytime you get to this point, every match is intense with a chance to capture a national championship on the line,” said Saint Rose head coach
Laurie Darling Gutheil. “We saw a little bit of nervous energy out there. It came through a few times in the first half when we did not finish some good chances. We were much more composed and played much better in the final 45 minutes. In the end, I think our depth was too much for them to overcome.”
Both teams had chances to put one on the board in the early going. Freshman forward Shealyn Sullivan drove a shot from the middle of the penalty area that forced Murphy to get off her feet for the save. Two minutes later, senior forward
Kailey Egbert one-timed a volley from the top of the box that ensured Hammond was on her toes.
The strike spurred the momentum for the Golden Knights who controlled play for the remainder of the period and owned a 10-2 shot advantage at intermission. The effort paid dividends in the 40th minute when sophomore midfielder
Jaclyn Evans pushed a diagonal pass through the area that Bowers tucked inside the right post.
Saint Rose picked up right where it left off at the onset of the second period. The Golden Knights kept the Lions contained in their own third with a deft quick touch passing scheme that opened up space.
In the 74th minute, Shegda could not have asked for more acreage. Freshman forward
Nicola D'Errico lined a cross from the left sideline that skidded through the box and onto Shegda’s foot. Shegda calmly lined up her target and fired a shot that found the upper left-corner and pretty much removed any doubt about the eventual outcome.
Box Score