Nov. 7, 2009

Box Score

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 tri 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 Elliot (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.

Four players from Simmons College were named to the All-Tournament Team, including Atturio, Kelly Muirhead (Middleboro, Mass.), Allie Megna (North Hampton, N.H.), and Katie Foley (Rochester, N.H.). Emmanuel had three deserving players receive all-tournament team honors including Kate McKenna (Holyoke, Mass.), Amber Di Nucci (Assonet, Mass.), and Meghan Long (Smithfield, R.I.). Simmons keeper Rachel Elliot was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

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.