Women's Soccer Advances to NE-10 Semis on PKs
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – It took 110 minutes of play and ten
penalty kicks to decide who would face top-ranked Saint Rose in the
Northeast-10 Conference semifinal, but the Merrimack women's
soccer Warriors notched five penalty kicks to advance over Adelphi
in Sunday's quarterfinal match-up.
With the win, the Warriors advance to play the top-ranked and
undefeated College of Saint Rose on Thursday, November 5. Earlier
in the year, the Warriors suffered a 4-0 loss at home to the Golden
Knights.
On Sunday, junior Elizabeth Hopley (Cromwell,
CT) scored the clincher in penalty kicks, but senior
goalkeeper Brittany Gustafson (East Hampton, CT)
made way for the game-winner when she stopped the fifth and final
Adelphi attempt.
Had it not been for senior captain Jackie Vickers
(Norwell, MA), the Warriors would not have seen overtime
in the first place. A blast into the upper-ninety from the top of
the box knotted the score in the 75th minute after the Warriors
fell behind in the first half, 1-0.
Gustafson also made 10 saves in net for the Warriors, including
three in the overtime frames.
Head Coach Gabe Mejail said after the match,
"Adelphi played us tough during the year, so we knew we were in for
a challenge today. It was a very even game, but our team
didn't give up after giving up that early goal. Saint Rose
will be a challenge, but I think this win is great momentum for our
team."
Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals - Wednesday, November
5
Game 1: #4 Merrimack at #1 Saint Rose
Game 2: #3 UMass-Lowell at #2 Franklin Pierce
Championship - Sunday, November 8
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
