Lasell’s Women’s Soccer is NCAA Tournament Bound
NEWTON, MA – The Lasell College women’s soccer team is bound for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history after defeating Norwich University, 1-0, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship match on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field. Freshman forward, and co-tournament MVP, Jamie Harris (Lynnfield, MA) tallied the deciding goal for the Lasers to seal their first ever GNAC Championship.
November 6, 2010
Janice Coppolino
Lasell College Athletic Communications
NEWTON, MA – The Lasell College women’s soccer
team is bound for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program
history after defeating Norwich University, 1-0, in the Great
Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship match on
Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field. Freshman forward, and
co-tournament MVP, Jamie Harris (Lynnfield, MA) tallied the
deciding goal for the Lasers to seal their first ever GNAC
Championship.
Junior midfielder Jordynn Frollo (Uxbridge, MA) unleashed the
sensational pass which set Harris in motion for the game-changing
goal in the 88th minute. Harris settled the ball
and slipped between two Norwich defenders before chipping the shot
over the top of Norwich goalkeeper Nicki Hunsicker (Emmaus,
PA).
The second seeded Lasers shutout their competition throughout
the entire post-season tournament series en route to the automatic
qualifier for the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer
Tournament. Lasell is riding on an eight-game unbeaten streak
and an 11-game undefeated streak on their home field (9-0-3) dating
back to 2009. The Lasers are now 14-3-3 overall this season,
another best in the program’s history.
“I am extremely excited!” said head coach Vita La
Francesca post-game, “I told the team before the game,
‘You can make history today; it’s all up to you!’
And they went out there and made history!”
Harris tallied three goals over the course of the tournament
to earn the co-Most Valuable Player honor, also scoring the
game-winner in the quarter final round against Emerson.
Harris’ counterpart in the MVP award went to Lasell’s
junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Stickley (Mashpee, MA) who made two
magnificent saves in today’s contest, as well as 14 saves
throughout tournament action in three shutouts.
The fourth seeded Cadets waged quite a fight in the match,
disallowing the Lasers, who are second in scoring offense in the
league, to get on the board for over 87 minutes despite holding a
dramatic 25-9 edge in shots. “It was a well fought battle
between both teams.” La Francesca said, “I thought
Norwich played well and their defense was hard to
penetrate.”
Norwich got off the first three shots of the game taking early
control in the opening minutes. The Cadet’s leading scorer
Brittany Casey (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) unleashed a corner in the
second minute which landed perfectly for a Baylie Lamarre
(Tyngsboro, MA) shot but the attempt shifted wide of the target.
Two minutes later a repeat play came about, which this time Bianca
Bogda (Cranston, RI) booted high over the net. At 7:05, the
Cadets chanced their final shot for over 31 minutes at which point
the hosts proceeded to pick up momentum and take over command of
the game.
Lasell followed up with the next nine shots and possession of
the ball for the better part of the first half. Frollo
connected on Lasell’s first attempt, followed by back-to-back
Harris on-goal opportunities in the 13th minute. In the
21st minute, Jessica Taylor (Standish, ME) footed a
corner for Lasell which led Frollo and Harris both to take shots,
neither cashing in. Meredith Hessler (Middletown, RI) also got into
the action driving in a ball off a direct kick which tucked just
outside the near post of the goal, at 31:51.
Casey broke up the Cadet’s stalemate in shots at 38:11
collecting a long pass for a breakaway down the center line. The
ensuing shot from 20 yards out was block by Lasell defender Molly
Clarke (Berlin, CT) who was marking the Cadet sophomore
forward.
Arianna DiOrio (Revere, MA) made the final attempt to score in
the half for Lasell with 42 seconds to go while Casey got off one
last second chance for the Cadets which chipped barely off the top
of the crossbar before heading out of play.
After the intermission, Lasell kept the pressure on with
freshman defender Jill Greaney (Holyoke, MA) firing off a bomb from
the right field which Hunsicker pulled the shot out of the air just
under two minutes into the period.
At 52:17, Stickley was tested in net for the first time
sprawling to her left to void Casey’s attempt at the goal
during a breakaway situation. Once again, the Cadets went on an
11-minute stretch without so much as a shot as Lasell carried the
weight of the offense. Norwich’s final on-target shot
was taken by Casey at 63:07 and was stopped effortlessly by
Stickley.
Lasell went on to produce the final five shots of the game,
including Harris’ fourth game-winner of the year.
The game marked the first time Lasell has made an appearance
in the GNAC Title game throughout their four seasons in the
conference. Norwich won the GNAC women’s soccer
tournament title in 2008.
Frollo, Clarke, and Mary Farley (Middleboro, MA) were selected
as All-Tournament honorees from Lasell for their efforts in the
Championship. Norwich accolades went to Hunsicker, Casey, and
sophomore midfielder Lisa Esparza (Dover, NH). Semi-final
round participants Saint Joseph College of Connecticut and Emmanuel
each awarded two players to the All-Tournament team as well.
St. Joseph’s Kristin Whitman and Melissa Maddeloni and
Emmanuel’s Darcy Sullivan and Shawn Crifo rounded out the
honorees.
The Lasers are the winners of an automatic bid to the NCAA
Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament and will await the
selection committee’s announcement of the bracket on Monday,
November 8th at 9:00 a.m. at which point they will learn
of their opponent.
On about making the trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first
time in program history, La Francesca fittingly remarked,
“Our team played with so much heart today and so much
intensity, they put everything they had into it. I’m
thrilled because they worked incredibly hard all season and they
really deserve it.”
2010 All-Tournament Team
|
Name
|
School
|
|
Elizabeth Stickley *Co-MVP
|
Lasell
|
|
Jamie Harris *Co-MVP
|
Lasell
|
|
Jordynn Frollo
|
Lasell
|
|
Molly Clarke
|
Lasell
|
|
Mary Farley
|
Lasell
|
|
Nicki Hunsicker
|
Norwich
|
|
Brittany Casey
|
Norwich
|
|
Lisa Esparza
|
Norwich
|
|
Darcy Sullivan
|
Emmanuel
|
|
Shawn Crifo
|
Emmanuel
|
|
Kristin Whitman
|
St. Joseph Conn.
|
|
Melissa Maddeloni
|
St. Joseph Conn.
|
GNAC Championship History
|
Year
|
Regular Season
|
Tournament
|
|
2010
|
Suffolk
|
Lasell
|
|
2009
|
Saint Joseph's (ME)
|
Simmons
|
|
2008
|
Norwich
|
Norwich
|
|
2007
|
Emmanuel
|
Emmanuel
|
|
2006
|
Johnson & Wales
|
West. New England
|
|
2005
|
Simmons
|
Johnson & Wales
|
|
2004
|
Simmons/Emerson
|
Simmons
|
|
2003
|
Simmons
|
Emmanuel
|
|
2002
|
West. New England/Johnson & Wales
|
West. New England
|
|
2001
|
Johnson & Wales
|
West. New England
|
|
2000
|
Johnson & Wales
|
Johnson & Wales
|
|
1999
|
West. New England
|
West. New England
|
|
1998
|
Simmons
|
Simmons
|
|
1997
|
Endicott
|
Endicott
|
|
1996
|
Simmons
|
Simmons
|
|
1995
|
West. New England
|
|