ECAC Metro/Upstate Championship PageIn an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro/Upstate Championship quarterfinal match on Wednesday night, November 11, the top-ranked New York University women's soccer team emerged victorious over the eight-seeded Lehman College Lightning on the strength of three second-half goals at Gaelic Park in Riverdale, NY.
"It's great to get the win in the first match," said NYU Head Coach
Michele Canning. "It gives us a little bit of confidence and now we're just focused on getting ready for Saturday."
The Violets (13-5-1) controlled the pace of play for the entirety of Wednesday night's contest against the Lightning (14-4), but was unable to break through offensively for the entire first half and over 20 minutes of the second.
That all changed when
Nicole Malen found herself open in front of the net in the 64th minute. The rookie forward was the beneficiary of a
Lexi Clarke pass from the far post and capitalized to finally put NYU on the board and in front 1-0.
The Violets scored twice more to close out the game for the 3-0 victory. The first came on a well-placed free kick from
Julie Glover in the 78th minute. The junior midfielder's strike went just below the crossbar and in off the hands of Lehman goalkeeper Stephanie Gonzalez. The game's final goal came in the 81st minute as Clarke converted to the far post on a cross in front from
Melissa Menta.
"We talked a lot during the week about trying to stay composed and we emphasized that during halftime," continued Canning. "We wanted to make sure that we kept our heads up and tried to connect on passes. Menta did a great job finding Lexi, and Lexi made a nice pass of her own to Nicole, as well. Julie's shot was very well placed."
HIGHLIGHTS: -
Cassie Steinberg recorded two saves for the win. The shutout is the 11th of the season for the junior keeper. She now has 21 for her career, which is second all-time at NYU.
- The Violets outshot Lehman 19-2, including 8-2 in shots on goal.
As the Championship's top seed, the Violets will now host this weekend's two semifinal contests and the championship game.
The Violets will take on #5 Mount St. Mary College at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 14, following the Knights' 2-1 comeback victory over #4 Stockton University on Wednesday night. In Saturday's 2:00 pm other semfinal, #7 Bard College will face #3 Rutgers University-Newark. Sunday's Championship Game is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
Live stats and
live video will be available for all three contests.
