Top Seeds Prevail in GNAC Women’s Soccer Semifinals
GNAC WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
WINTHROP, Mass. – The two top seeds in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Soccer Championship – No. 1 seed Johnson & Wales and No. 2 seed Emmanuel – both picked up wins on Wednesday (Nov. 1) evening to punch their tickets into the 2023 GNAC Women's Soccer title match. The Wildcats will host the Saints on Saturday, Nov. 4 at a time still to be determined.
Top-seeded JWU handed No. 4 seed Colby-Sawyer a 5-0 defeat to earn the right to host the conference title match for the fourth-straight season. Meanwhile, Emmanuel pulled out a 1-0 victory over No. 3 seed Lasell to earn its first GNAC Championship berth since 2015.
During the regular season, the Wildcats handed the Saints their only conference loss of the season. They earned a 2-0 result in early October.
The team that takes the conference crown on Saturday will be named the 2023 GNAC Women's Soccer Champion and will earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
#1 Johnson & Wales 5, #4 Colby-Sawyer 0
Recap courtesy of the Johnson & Wales Athletic Communications Department.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior Emily DeRoehn scored a pair of goals in Johnson & Wales women's soccer's 5-0 win over No. 4 seed Colby-Sawyer in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinals Wednesday night at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex.
The win puts the Wildcats in the conference championship match for the fourth-consecutive season (2019; 2021-23), where they will seek their fourth-consecutive championship. JWU defeated St. Joseph's (ME) in 2019 (2-1) before downing Lasell in both 2021 (3-0) and 2022 (2-1); all three matches were played at the SMAC.
Junior Angelina Oliveira, along with sophomores MacKenna Renaud and Kylie Schmidt, all collected goals for the Wildcats, who outshot the Chargers 28-3. Junior Skyla Landry, sophomore Sophia Iovino, and freshmen Jessica Lee and Sophia Warburton were all credited with assists.
Oliveira netted the only goal JWU would need at 16:29 when she knocked in a pass form Landry. DeRoehn then scored a pair of goals off corner kicks to extend the lead to 3-0, followed by a tally from Schmidt at 49:55. Renaud's 11th marker of 2023 came at 71:59 and closed the scoring.
Juniors Carly McCrumb and Leah Bragaw combined to make one save. McCrumb got the start and moves to 9-2-2 on the season.
#2 Emmanuel 1, #3 Lasell 0
Recap courtesy of the Emmanuel Athletic Communications Department.
BOSTON – For the first time since 2015, the Emmanuel women's soccer team will move on to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game after a 1-0 semifinal triumph, under the lights, over the Lasell Lasers on Wednesday night at Clemente Field.
The game's lone goal came in the seventh minute after Saints sophomore Sarah Dullaghan took her defender one-on-one and was able to draw a foul in the box, leading to a penalty kick.
Emmanuel sophomore defender Annebel Balogh de Galantha found the back of the net on the kick, sending Lasell's keeper the wrong direction with her dive.
The Saints nearly doubled the lead in the 12th minute on a shot from long range from senior Lily Tobin. The attempt from 25 yards out hit the bottom of the crossbar but never crossed the goal line, keeping the match at 1-0.
The Lasers had their best chances around the 60th minute with senior Emily DeHart and junior Evelyn DiFiore firing off long range attempts, but both shots were covered by Saints sophomore Gaby Baker.
Lasell's junior midfielder, Michelina D'Agostino recorded four shots in the match and Dullaghan and Adeline LeGault each recorded three respectively for the Saints.
Baker recorded a clean sheet after a hard-fought Lasell effort with seven shots on goal. Lasell's first-year goalie, Lataya Simmons collected the loss in the match with four saves on five shots on goal.
2023 GNAC Women's Soccer Tournament Schedule
Play-In – Thursday, Oct. 26
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#7 Rivier def. #10 Albertus Magnus, 4-0 | BOX
Play-In – Friday, Oct. 27
(Hosted at Rivier University – Nashua, N.H.)
#9 Elms def. #8 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 1-1 (pen. 6-5 Elms) | BOX
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 28
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#2 Emmanuel def. #7 River, 6-0 | BOX
#3 Lasell def. #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 2-1 | BOX
#4 Colby-Sawyer def. #5 Regis, 3-2 | BOX
Quarterfinals – Sunday, Oct. 29
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#1 Johnson & Wales def. #9 Elms, 5-0 | BOX
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 1
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#1 Johnson & Wales def. #4 Colby-Sawyer, 5-0 | BOX
#2 Emmanuel def. #3 Lasell, 1-0 | BOX
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 4
#2 Emmanuel at #1 Johnson & Wales, TBD
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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