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FDU & Robert Morris Advance To Sunday's NEC Women's Soccer Title Match

11/6/2015

 
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There will be a first-time NEC women's soccer champion come Sunday.  Top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson and second-seeded Robert Morris both emerged victorious in Friday's exciting semifinal round held at FDU's University Stadium. The Knights, who ran through the NEC regular season unbeaten, delivered a goal-scoring barrage against fourth-seeded Saint Francis U, winning 7-4 in the highest scoring game in NEC Tournament history.  Making it's first-ever NEC Tournament appearance, Robert Morris used a late PK to slip by third-seeded Bryant, 2-1.  The Knights and Colonials will meet at noon on Sunday.  The game can be viewed for free on NEC Front Row.

#1 Fairleigh Dickinson 7, #4 Saint Francis U 4
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Teaneck, NJ -- A stunning offensive display by Fairleigh Dickinson has placed the Knights in position to claim the program’s first-ever Northeast Conference women’s soccer championship.  Top-seeded FDU scored early and often en-route to a 7-4 semifinal win over fourth-seeded Saint Francis U in the highest scoring game in NEC Tournament history. The Knights will take on the winner of Robert Morris-Bryant in Sunday’s title match at noon in FDU’s University Stadium.

The NEC regular season champion Knights got on the board early when NEC Rookie of the Year Jessi Reinhardt (Friedberg, Germany/Burggymansium) sent a corner into the box and NEC Golden Boot Award winner Rachel Hoekstra (Bowmanville, Ontario/Clarington Central) collected it and fired a shot into the back of the net with just 7:26 shaved off the clock. Hoekstra would then give FDU (15-5) the 2-0 led two minutes later on a deflected cross from teammate Nikki Keicher (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow).  It was Hoekstra’s 15th goal on the year.

Saint Francis U (4-13-2) would cut the lead in half in the 15th minute when Gabi Morales (Madrid, Spain/Colegio La Inmaculada-Marillac) sent a corner kick into the box that was redirected into the net by Shannon McGinnis (Macungie, PA/Emmaus).

The Knights kept up the pressure, however, and when Reinhardt’s cross found Esther Rochon (Saint Romuald, Que./College Francois-Xavier-Garneau) wide open in the box, the senior midfielder beat SFU keeper Romina Kunze (Frankfurt, Germany/Carl-von-Weinberg-Schule) far post from 10 yards out to increase the FDU lead to 3-1 in the 39th minute.

Reinhardt wasn’t done, building FDU’s cushion to 4-1 on a left-footed shot from 20+ yards out into the upper-90 with two minutes left to play in the opening stanza.

Fairleigh Dickinson came out in the second half with no signs of letting up. Freshman Elma Kolenvic (Manhattan, NY/NYC Lab) would get things started with a nifty chip shot just 1:38 in, then it was Patricia Seitz’s (Pfungstadt, Germany/Baden-Wurttemberg) turn.  Seitz would complete the scoring for the Knights with her first two goals of the season.  She headed into a Keicher cross in the 60th minute, then volleyed in a Carly Tice (Highland Falls, NY/James I. O'Neill) feed just 1:26 later.

Saint Francis U would not go down easy. 

Hallie Rexer (Mountain Top, PA/Holy Redeemer) converted a penalty kick in the 65th minute, then beat FDU keeper Felicia Burr (Bellingham, MA/Blackstone-Millville) far post in the 72nd minute to make it 7-3 in favor of the Knights. Paige Butler (Osprey, FL/Venice) closed out the scoring, sending a free kick into the top right corner from 30 yards out.

FDU enjoyed a 31-9 edge in shots.  Burr had one save for the Knights and Kunze turned away 10 shots for the Red Flash.

FDU’s seven goals were the second most scored by a team in NEC Women’s Soccer Tournament history. Monmouth scored eight times in an 8-0 victory over SFU on November 3, 1995. The 11 combined tallies were the most in NEC Tournament annals.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson has now scored 49 goals this season, the highest single-season total since CCSU netted 53 back in 2003.

#2 Robert Morris 2, #3 Bryant 1
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Teaneck, NJ -- Second-seeded Robert Morris is headed to the NEC Women’s Soccer championship match for the first time in program history after posting a 2-1 victory over third-seeded Bryant in the second semifinal of the day at FDU’s University Stadium in Teaneck, NJ.  The Colonials will face top-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in Sunday’s title match at noon.

Making its first-ever NEC Tournament appearance, Robert Morris (10-10) put the pressure on Bryant keeper Kaylan Conrad (Avon, CT/Avon) from the kickoff. Conrad made a couple of key saves to keep the scoreless until the 27th minute of the match. Capitalizing on a Bryant turnover, RMU’s Lauren Sulkowski (St. Catharines, Ontario/Holy Cross) cut to her left and delivered a left-footed laser beam from just outside the 18-yard box that snuck in the near post off Conrad’s outstretched arms.
 
Just three minutes into the second half, Bryant leveled the game at 1-1. Stationed 40 yards out, Allison DeBenedictis (Norwell, MA/Norwell) sent a free kick toward the goal.  With two Bryant players looking to make a play on the ball in front of RMU keeper Chelsea de Jager (Grimsby, Ontario/Governor Simcoe), the ball hit the ground and bounced in the net untouched.

Two minutes later Bryant had a golden opportunity when Scout Benson (Lynnfield, MA/Lynnfield) raced past the RMU defense, but de Jager came flying off her line to the top of the box and sprawled in front of the hard-charging Bryant senior forward for the save.

Bryant (5-11-3) had a chance in the 80th minute when Sarah Schuker (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) found herself one-on-one with de Jager.  The shot was partially deflected by the RMU keeper before the ball was cleared off the line by Kayla Kelly (Halifax, PA/Halifax).

RMU scored the game’s decisive goal with 7:31 remaining in the match.  After Cassie Raymond (South Park, PA/South Park) was tripped up in the box, the Colonials’ Maleha Kureishy (Saint Clairsville, Ohio/The Linsly School) had all eyes on her as she stepped up to take the penalty kick. Kureishy calmly deposited the shot in the bottom left corner of the for her third goal of the season and send the Colonials to Sunday’s title tilt.

Robert Morris owned a 19-15 edge in shots.  Conrad made nine saves for Bryant and de Jager had four stops for the Colonials.