The College at Brockport's womens soccer team advanced in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Division III Metro/Upstate postseason tournament after the Golden Eagles survived a shootout with New Jersey City University and advanced 5-3 on penalty kicks Wednesday afternoon.
Brockport and NJCU played to a 1-all tie through 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods before penalty kicks decided the game, which was played on the NJCU campus in Jersey City, NJ. In the shootout,
Arielle Schneider(Plainview, NY/Plainview-Old Bethpage),
Abby Smith (Mexico, NY/Mexico) and
Jess Bush (Dryden, NY/Dryden) each scored, but NJCUs first three kickers also made their shots, and PKs were tied 3-all.
Sophomore
Gina Laing (Holland, NY/Holland) stepped up next for her first collegiate penalty kick, and her shot bounced off NJCUs goalies hands and into the right portion of the goal. NJCUs next kicker missed her shot left, and when sophomore
Sarah Lawson (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca East) buried her shot, the Golden Eagles (8-8-1 overall) earned a date in the semifinals.
"I was very confident with our penalty-kick shooters, even though it was Gina's first penalty kick for us," said
Joan Schockow, Brockport's head coach.
"Gina's was a big-time kick.
Erin Asquith had saved the shot prior, but it hit off the post and off of Erin's back and went into the net to tie it at three. Then on Gina's kick, the keeper dove and got two hands on the ball, but the shot still went in. Once we got done with the first half, when NJCU had the wind, our kids went out there and dominated the rest of the game.
Brockport, seeded fifth, will face top-seeded Richard Stockton (13-7-2) at 1 pm Saturday in the semifinals. The other semifinal at 3 pm will pit Drew against FDU-Florham. The ECAC Metro/Upstate championship is at 1 pm Sunday, Nov. 14. All three games will be played at Richard Stockton College in Pomona, NJ.
New Jersey City University took a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute, but NJCU's persistent attack kept at it in the first half, putting up four more close shots before the half. But each time, Asquith and the defense came up with the save.
Smith tied it up in the 58th minute. Shooting from inside the box, Smith's strike deflected off a defender and into the net for the equalizer, her ninth goal of the season.
The Golden Eagles outshot NJCU 28-21, including 8-3 in the two overtime periods, and had six corner kicks, compared to zero for NJCU. Brockport dominated play In the second overtime session, as Smith had a point-blank look on goal in the 109th minute, but NJCU's keeper made the save in the center of the net. Earlier in the period, Smith had another shot stopped, and Bushs attempt from the top of the box was blocked.
Asquith finished with five saves for the Golden Eagles.
