#1 Elms and #2 Lesley Advance to Championship Title Match in Women's Soccer
#1 Elms 4, #4 Daniel Webster 0
CHICOPEE, Mass. - Junior forward Krystyna Gagne (Methuen, MA) scored her team-leading 14th goal of the year and the top-seeded Blazers scored three goals in the opening 33 minutes en route to a 4-0 women's soccer shutout victory over fourth-seeded Daniel Webster College in the semifinals of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament on Saturday night at Leary Field.
With the win, Elms College (10-7), the NECC's regular season champion, advances to host second-seeded Lesley (16-3-1) in the championship final next Saturday, November 8. Game time at Leary Field is set for 1:00 p.m.
The Lynx punched their ticket into the title game with a 3-0 home shutout win over No. 3 Becker (7-10-1) in Saturday's other semifinal.
Gagne opened the scoring for the Blazers in the 24th minute when she deflected a shot past Daniel Webster freshman netminder Amy Waller (Berlin, MA).
Senior defender Alicia Bobbie (Higganum, CT) extended Elms College's lead to 2-0 just 4:43 later with an unassisted goal - her second of the season.
Junior forward Serina Percoski (Westfield, MA) struck for her eighth goal of the year in the 33rd minute off an assist from freshman forward Jen Killion (Cambridge, MA) to give the hosts a comfortable 3-0 advantage at intermission.
Sophomore midfielder Sarah Donais (Granby, MA) netted her third goal this season off Killion's second assist of the contest to conclude the scoring.
Freshman goalkeeper Kelly Callahan (Monson, MA) was called upon to make one save, as she posted her sixth shutout of the year.
Waller stopped seven shots for the Eagles, who were outshot 21-3 in the loss.
#2 Lesley 3, #3 Becker 0
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Lesley University women's soccer team defeated Becker College 3-0 to advance to the New England Collegiate Conference title match. The Lynx will face the winner of the other semifinal match played between Daniel Webster and Elms College later this evening. Becker ends their 2008 campaign with a 7-10-1 (5-2-1 NECC) record after reaching the conference semifinals.
Lesley's junior defender Cathryn Folkestad (Ipswich, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal in the 23rd minute as she hit a firm header past Hawks keeper Shannon Tibbetts (Warren, Mass.) off a lead corner kick pass from teammate Alyson Durben (Stow, Mass.).
A minute earlier on a similar corner kick cross, Tibbetts made a nifty one-handed save over the crossbar after Folkestad attempted to head it in.
Becker had an opportunity to tie up the match with 12 minutes remaining in the half after Alexandra Fernandes' (Tucson, Ariz.) shot deflected off Lynx goalie Hailee Lowe's (Hamilton, Mass.) fingertips and almost crossed into the net, but Lowe was able to scoop the ball up for the save.
Fralick scored her first goal of the game at 36:38 on a second chance opportunity when the ball rebounded off the keeper for a point blank shot. Durben earned her second assist of the game on the goal.
Fralick finished off the scoring for Lesley in the second half, unassisted, when her hard hit shot ricocheted off the keeper's gloves and into the net.
The Hawks keeper finished in double-digit saves with 13 and Lowe stopped three shots on goal in the victory.
2008 NECC WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals-Wednesday, October 29
#6 Mitchell (3-4-1, 5-10-1) at #3 Becker (5-2-1, 6-9-1),
4:00 p.m.- BC 2, MC 0
#5 Bay Path (3-4-1, 3-10-2) at #4 Daniel Webster (5-3, 7-8), 2:00
p.m.- DWC 2, BPC 0
Semifinals- Saturday, November 1
#1 Elms (8-0, 9-7) vs. #4 Daniel Webster, 6:00 p.m., Elms
4 Daniel Webster 0
#2 Lesley (7-1, 15-3-1) vs. #3 Becker, 2:30 p.m. , Lesley 3 Becker
0
Championship Match - Saturday, November 8
#2 Lesley at #1 Elms , 1:00 p.m. (at higher seed)
Stories Courtesy of Elms and Lesley Sports Information Offices
