The championship match of the 2012 Northeast Conference Women's Soccer Tournament will pit a pair of familiar foes as Saint Francis (PA) and LIU Brooklyn will meet with the NEC title at stake for the third straight year. In the first semifinal held at the DeGol Field in Loretto on Friday, top-seeded Saint Francis (PA) defeated #4 Sacred Heart, 2-0, to earn its third straight trip in as many years to the Championship final on Sunday. Three-time NEC Player of the Year Tesa McKibben notched both goals for the Red Flash. In the second semifinal, third-seeded LIU Brooklyn's Alana Wohlers scored early to give the defending champion Blackbirds a 1-0 lead that held up. Championship match time is slated for 12:00 p.m. on Sunday on DeGol Field. Watch all the action live on NEC Front Row.
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Semifinal #1
#1 Saint Francis (PA) 0, #4 Sacred Heart 0
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Loretto, PA -- Loretto, PA -- NEC Player of the Year Tesa McKibben (Cogan Station, PA/Montoursville) notched two goals as top-seeded Saint Francis (PA) shutout #4 Sacred Heart in a rematch of last year's semifinal to move on to its third NEC Championship final in as many years.
McKibbens' first score came in the 37th minute, after junior midfielder Stephanie Boulter (Poolesville, MD/Poolesville) fed her the ball as McKibben shot a slotted groundball from the left side of the field that landed in the far side of the net.
In the 46th minute, McKibben scored from 10 yards out on a breakaway on the left side to find the back of the goal. This was her 18th goal of the seas
Saint Francis (PA) goalkeeper Brianna Butcher (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) made two saves during the match, fending off nine Sacred Heart shots. Butcher tied the Saint Francis record for career shutouts with 19. The Pioneers outshot the Red Flash, who notched six.
Sydney Judkins (South Park, PA/Souther Park) also made two saves for Sacred Heart, while senior forward Ashley Moore (Levittown, NY/Island Trees) and sophomore midfielder Kristen Verette (Saugus, MA/Bishop Fenwick) booted three shots apiece in the loss.
Saint Francis (PA) takes on LIU Brooklyn in the NEC Championship match for the third straight season on Sunday, Nov. 4 at DeGol Field in Loretto, PA. Kick-off is slated for 12:00 p.m.
Semifinal #2
#3 Long Island 1, #2 Monmouth 0
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Loretto, PA -- After an early goal, third-seeded LIU Brooklyn outlasted #2 Monmouth in a repeat of last year's semifinal to advance to the NEC Women's Soccer Championship final on Sunday for the third consecutive season.
Senior midfielder Alana Wohlers (Tustin, CA/Cypress College) scored the game-winner just five minutes into the first half of the match on assist after senior defender Katie Egan (Hanover, MA/Hanover) came up from the backfield.
The score remained the same through the duration of the game--a back and forth tilt for the next 85 minutes. The Hawks outshot the Blackbirds, 8-5 with seven coming in the second half, as well as held the edge in corners by 8 to 1, but could not convert in the 90 minutes of playing time.
The Blackbirds held strong as Monmouth made an offensive attack towards the end of the second half of the game. Dana Costello (Jackson NJ/Jackson Memorial) and Jennie Vartebedian (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) each took two shots in the second half.
LIU's Brooklyn's Jessica Sexton (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) and Monmouth's Jocelyn McCoy (Crofton, MD/Archbishop Spalding) each made five saves each during the match. Sexton earned her first shutout of the season and the 11th of her career.
The Blackbirds will now attempt to win their third NEC Championship Title when they face the top-seeded Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash in Sunday’s championship match at DeGol Field in Loretto. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.