WEST CHESTER, Pa. – West Virginia Wesleyan scored two unanswered goals in the final 18 minutes of regulation and upset No. 7 Gannon 2-0 Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament. The contest was played on a neutral field as part of the West Chester subregional.
Unfortunately for Gannon, Friday marked the second consecutive time it was shutout in postseason play this season. The Lady Knights battled East Stroudsburg to a scoreless tie in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinals November 1, before being eliminated on penalty kicks 5-4.
Defense ruled the first half with West Virginia Wesleyan producing a slim 4-2 edge in shots. Gannon goalkeeper
Maggie Brinkman (Clarence Center, N.Y./Clarence) and West Virginia Wesleyan keeper Laura Duncan needed only one save each to preserve their shutouts at halftime. The Lady Knights took the only corner kick of the first 45 minutes, but failed to get a shot off in the 35th-minute attempt.
The offenses began to pick up the pace during the second half as the two squads combined to get off 14 shots. Gannon came out of the break with a great deal of energy, getting a pair of corner kicks during the first eight minutes. Neither attempt resulted in a shot.
Moments later, Gannon fired three shots towards the goal during the span of two minutes and 47 seconds. But Duncan was up to the task, denying the first two opportunities before the third shot sailed high. Duncan continued to stand on her head, making two more saves in the 70th and 73rd minutes.
Twenty-three seconds after Duncan's fifth save of the second half, the ball fell over the Gannon goal line on the other end after a West Virginia Wesleyan crossing pass was mishandled. Kristen Hoo was credited with her third goal of the season at the 72:49 mark.
Gannon's best opportunity to tie the match came with six minutes to play.
Justine Rodrigues' (Georgetown, Ontario/Georgetown District) header off a
Mani Brueckner (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) corner kick sailed just high to keep the Wesleyan lead at 1-0.
Hoo then iced the Bobcat victory with exactly one minute left in regulation, netting her second goal of the match and fourth of the season . She was able to beat the goalkeeper to a 50-50 ball and scored into an empty net.
Gannon's fabulous season came to a close with a 13-4-2 overall record. But it was one with plenty of accomplishments. The Lady Knights set school single-season records for victories (13), shutouts (12), fewest goals allowed (12) and fewest losses (4). In addition, the squad achieved the highest national ranking in school history when it was tabbed seventh in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) top 25 poll.
Individually, Brueckner broke the school's single-season record for assists with 13. The freshman currently leads NCAA Division II in assists per match. Her 33 points represented the fourth-highest single-season total in school history and finished only six shy of the school record.
Brinkman and
Sarah Geffel (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) posted the top two single-season goals against average in school history. Brinkman now holds the school record with a 0.50 mark while Geffel sits in second with a 0.73 GAA. The previous best was Kelena Miller's 0.94 goals against average in 2000. Brinkman concluded her career as Gannon's all-time leader in career goals against average (1.17), finishing just ahead of Kerri Shaughnessy's (1998-99) 1.23 mark.
Friday's contest brings an end to the brilliant careers of six seniors - Brinkman,
Jordan Rickan (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West),
Jenny Jergel (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley),
Mary Reilly (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban),
Kara Prokopchak (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) and
Sarah Deck (Hamilton, Ontario/Bishop Ryan Catholic S.S.). The dynamic group helped Gannon win 36 matches, make the PSAC Tournament three times and advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament twice.
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) champion West Virginia Wesleyan improved to 12-5-3 overall with its seventh victory in the last eight matches. The Bobcats will play host West Chester Sunday, November 11 in the second round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. Game time is scheduled for 12 noon.
