Simmons Upsets Emmanuel To Take 2009 GNAC Women's Soccer Championship in Double-O.T.
BOSTON, Mass. – The 5th-seeded Sharks of Simmons College
pulled off a 2-1 double-overtime upset victory over the 2nd-seeded
Saints of Emmanuel College to snag the Great Northeast Athletic
Conference (GNAC) Women’s Soccer Championship. Rookie forward
Lian Atturio (Hanover, Mass.) netted both goals for Simmons,
including the game-winner, which came in the 117th minute.
Simmons’ 2-1 win on Emmanuel’s home field completed a
trio of tournament upsets for the Sharks, as they topped the 4th
seed Emerson College, the 1st seed Saint Joseph’s College,
and finally the 2nd-seed Emmanuel. The double overtime championship
win gives the Sharks (12-5-3) an automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament. Emmanuel (14-6-1) will wait to hear about a potential
bid to the ECAC post-season tournament.
The crowd at Clemente Field exceeded 500, as the neighboring
Colleges of the Fenway schools took battle in the local rivalry.
Much of the first half was played in the center of the field, with
neither team obtaining solid scoring opportunities in the early
going. The Saints, who out-shot the Sharks, 7-2, in first stanza,
scored the first goal of the game with just two minutes to play in
the half. Senior forward Stephanie Levesque (Auburn, Mass.)
followed up a long shot by junior Kristina Marik (Airmont, Mass.)
to put the Saints on the board, 1-0. Both Levesque and Marik had
come off the bench to convert the play at 42:23. Emmanuel then
carried the 1-0 edge into the break.
Simmons retaliated with the tying goal at 68:31. Atturio received
a feed from sophomore Mandy Walke (Danvers, Mass.) to knot the game
at 1-1. Emmanuel continued to out-shoot Simmons, as the Saints held
an 11-3 shooting advantage in the second half. The remainder of
regulation was played scoreless and the championship was sent into
overtime.
Neither team took a shot in the first ten minutes of overtime,
forcing a second o.t. period. Six minutes and thirty-six seconds
were played in the second overtime, when Atturio netted the
game-winner for the Sharks. Atturio’s shot was the only shot
taken by either team in the combined overtime periods. She got her
assist from junior Anna Stella (Sharon, Mass.), as the Sharks
stunned the host Saints, 2-1.
Simmons’ senior goalkeeper Rachel Elliott (Amherst, N.H.)
was stellar for the Sharks, making 11 saves in the win.
Emmanuel’s freshman keeper Jessica D’Ottavio (Pawling,
N.Y.) stopped 3 of Simmons’ 5 shots on goal, playing the full
116:36 for the Saints.
The loss for Emmanuel marked the Saints’ second-straight
overtime loss in the GNAC championship game. The Saints were making
their third-straight appearance in the GNAC title game.
The Sharks’ NCAA tournament opponent will be determined on
Monday morning. Emmanuel will wait to hear about possibly securing
a bid to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC)
post-season tournament.
Women's Soccer All-Tournament Team and MVP:
Mikayla Call - Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Jessica Needham - Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Eva Peart - Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Cait Witham - Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Amber Di Nucci - Emmanuel
Kate McKenna - Emmanuel
Meghan Long - Emmanuel
Lian Atturio - Simmons
Kelly Muirhead - Simmons
Allie Megna - Simmons
Katie Foley - Simmons
Tournament MVP
Rachel Elliott - Simmons
Courtesy: Emmanuel College Athletic Communications
