Saints Fall to Wildcats 2-1 in GNAC Women’s Soccer Championship
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Two goals from Angelina Carrion (Hackensack, N.J.) pushed No. 1 Johnson & Wales Women’s Soccer past No. 2 Emmanuel 2-1 to win the Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship on Saturday night in Providence. It was the Wildcats’ third consecutive conference title, and the win completed the team’s third straight season with an undefeated record in GNAC play.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Two goals from Angelina Carrion (Hackensack, N.J.) pushed No. 1 Johnson & Wales Women's Soccer past No. 2 Emmanuel 2-1 to win the Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship on Saturday night in Providence. It was the Wildcats' third consecutive conference title, and the win completed the team's third straight season with an undefeated record in GNAC play.
The two sides battled back and forth throughout the first half but were unable to break the deadlock before the break. In the 63rd minute, the Wildcats earned a corner kick. Jessica Lee (Newton, Mass.) swung the ball in, finding Carrion who made the score 1-0. It was Carrion's fifth goal of the season.
Just over a minute later, the Saints nearly leveled the score from a free kick. Liz McCormick (Cumberland, R.I.), making her return after being unavailable in eleven of the last twelve matches, stood over the ball outside the penalty area on the left wing. She swung the ball in on target, but Wildcats goalkeeper Carly McCrumb (Grandville, Mich.) was able to get her fingertips on the ball and push it off the crossbar and out of play.
The Saints continued to push for an equalizer but were unable to find the back of the net before Johnson & Wales doubled the lead. With just under two minutes left, Carrion found space in front of the goal to grab her second goal of the game.
The Saints continued to battle in the remaining 1:49. Senior forward Adeline LeGault (Farmington, Conn.) got one back for Emmanuel with 26 seconds left on the clock. It was LeGault's fourth goal of the season. In the remaining seconds, the Saints sent the ball forward trying to find one more goal. As time winded down, McCormick was in a footrace with a Wildcats defender on the top of the penalty area, but time expired before she could get to the ball.
Sophomore goalkeeper Gaby Baker (Grafton, Mass.) had a stellar match between the goalposts. Baker finished with a career-high ten saves and kept the Saints in the match on several occasions. She finishes the season as the GNAC's leader in save percentage (.871).
With the win, Johnson & Wales earned the GNAC's automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament. The team will await the NCAA selection show scheduled for Monday, Nov. 6 to find out their first-round opponent. With tonight's loss, Emmanuel fell to 18-3 on the season.
