No. 2 Saints Head to Providence to Face No. 1 Johnson & Wales in GNAC Championship

BOSTON – The Emmanuel College women's soccer team (18-2, 14-1 GNAC) advanced to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game after a 1-0 win over Lasell on Wednesday, Nov. 1. This is the first time the Saints have advanced to the Championship since 2015. 

The Saints travel to Providence, R.I. to face Johnson & Wales University (17-2-3, 15-0 GNAC) at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4. The two teams last met on Saturday, Oct. 7, where the Wildcats came out on top, 2-0. Madison Sanborn (Wilbraham, Mass.) put Johnson & Wales on the scoreboard with a goal on a ball from Katherine Dufour (Middletown, R.I.). The second goal for the Wildcats was scored by Sophia Warburton (Norfolk, Va.), and Lulani Haslinger (Groton, N.Y.) recorded an assist on the play. 

In the Semifinals, Emmanuel's lone goal in the seventh minute of play proved to be enough to surpass Lasell University. Sophomore Sarah Dullaghan (Belmont, Mass.) was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Sophomore defender Annebel Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) took the penalty shot, and it found its way to the back of the net. Johnson & Wales topped Colby-Sawyer, 5-0, to advance to the Championship. Emily DeRoehn (Old Lyme, Conn.) scored a pair of goals, while Angelina Oliveira (Naugatuck, Conn.),Kylie Schmidt (Kintersville, Pa.) and MacKenna Renaud (Cranston, R.I.) each scored one goal. Five different Wildcats tallied an assist on each of the goals.  

Dullaghan leads the way for Emmanuel with some impressive performances. She has scored 21 goals to go along with eight assists. The forward earned GNAC Player of the Week honors for three straight weeks on Oct.16, Oct. 23, and Oct. 30. First-year forward Ciara Horan (Braintree, Mass.) has been impactful for the Saints. She has tallied nine goals and eight assists, making starts in all 20 appearances. Horan earned GNAC Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 2, Oct. 16 and Oct. 30.  

Emmanuel's Balogh de Galantha has proved to be a key factor in the postseason so far. She scored the aforementioned lone goal in the Semifinals win and tallied a goal and an assist in Oct. 28's 6-0 Quarterfinals win over Rivier University. She has recorded six goals and three assists, good for 15 points on the year.  

DeRoehn leads the way for the Wildcats. The junior defender has recorded 12 goals and three assists on the season. Oliveira also has been impactful for Johnson & Wales, having tallied 12 goals as well. Sophomore midfielder Renaud has also been impressive for the Wildcats with 11 goals on the season.  

It is expected that sophomore goaltender Gaby Baker (Grafton, Mass.) will start in the net for the Saints, having started in 19 games played. She has tallied 64 saves on the season, posting a .877 save percentage. Baker carries a 17-2 record, including 11 shutouts. It is likely Carly McCrumb (Grandville, Mich.) will be Johnson & Wales' starting goalie. She has made 13 starts in 20 appearances for the Wildcats, posting a 9-2-2 record.