STANDISH, Maine - #3 Saint Joseph's College (12-7) defeated #6 Elms College (9-7-3)), 2-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Soccer Tournament Quarterfinal at the SJC Athletics Complex on Saturday afternoon.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC tourney and will play the winner of the #2 Lasell / #7 Regis quarterfinal, which begins at 7:30 PM today, on Wednesday, start time and location TBD.
For Elms College, the loss signals the end of the 2021 campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game was scoreless until the 57th minute, when a defensive breakdown in the box created a prime scoring chance for the Monks. Receiving a lead pass near the 18 from senior Eilidh Sidaway (Dedham, Maine), freshman Alicen Burnham (Monmouth, Maine) turned and fed senior Kayley Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.), who broke free unmarked in the heart of the box and tapped a shot to the lower left corner of the net.
The Blazers threw everything they could at the Monks but failed to build upfield for a true scoring opportunity. With Elms changing their formation looking to tie the game in the closing minutes, St. Joe's managed to tack on an insurance goal at the 86:59 mark, when Burnham netted her seventh goal of the year. Sophomore Aaliyah Wilson-Falcone (Winthrop, Maine) set up the play with slick lead pass and was credited with an assist on the play.
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held the lead in shots (19-0), shots on goal (8-0), and corner kicks (8-1) in the tourney triumph.
THE KEEPERS:
SJC senior goalie Adia Grogan (Kennebunk, Maine) did not face a shot in the shutout triumph while Elms keeper Angela Picheo (Wood-Ridge, N.J.) made six saves in the losing effort.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 2-0-0 all-time against Elms College as the Monks defeated the Blazers by a 5-1 margin in the first-ever meeting between the institutions' women's soccer programs on September 11th, 2021.
