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MANCHESTER, N.H. - The No. 1-seeded Saint Anselm College women's soccer team won its first Northeast 10 Championship since 1991, second in program history, tying Franklin Pierce, 1-1, before advancing 4-3 in penalty kicks at Melucci Field on Sunday.
 
With Sunday's NE10 title, the Hawks received an automatic bid in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament and will await their opponent and seeding that will be decided at tomorrow night's selection show at 6:30 p.m.
 
Highlights

• The Hawks win their second NE10 championship in program history in just their third appearance in the title game. Saint Anselm's previous two trips were in 1990 and 1991.
• Freshman Madison Botta scored the lone goal for the Hawks, the second of her career, on an assist from sophomore Amarys Jimenez, the third of her career.
• Saint Anselm advanced in penalty kicks, 4-3, with senior goalkeeper Amelia Hohos making a big save while sophomore Meghan Deneen netted the championship-winner.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Samantha Swidorski made three saves in the tie, playing 110 minutes in net for the second consecutive game. Her record goes to 10-1-5 on the year heading into the NCAA tournament.
• Jimenez led the team with three shots on goal while senior captain Nina Cuccovia and Botta each had two.
• For her outstanding play on the defensive side of the ball the past two games, sophomore Kaitlyn LeBrun was named the NE10 Championship's Most Outstanding Player. Sophomore Kate Crowley and Deneen joined LeBrun on the All-Tournament Team.
• Head coach Lee Moyce and his staff became the first coaches at Saint Anselm to win the women's soccer NE10 title in their first season at the helm of the program.

How it Happened
 
Franklin Pierce possessed the ball and was on the attack for the early portion of the game with six shots, two on goal, in the first 20 minutes, but Swidorski and the Hawks' defense kept the ball out of the back of the net.
 
A quick offensive push by Saint Anselm led to a flurry of shots, including one on target by Jimenez, but it was turned away by the Ravens goalkeeper, Ryan Rosario. Jimenez had one more shot saved while Franklin Pierce couldn't find space for a shot for the remainder of the half, as the score remained scoreless.
 
Saint Anselm was on the attack early on in the second half, rifling off three shots on goal and three more shots that went wide of the mark in the first four minutes of action out of the break. The Hawks were unable to score, and the Ravens answered with a strong push of their own as a shot from Kaitlyn Bautista went off the crossbar for the Ravens in the 59th minute.
 
Jimenez and the Hawks offense made a late push, driving the ball down the right sideline before sending a pass into the box that found Botta after a Ravens defender failed to clear the ball, leading to an open shot for the freshman as she drilled the ball into the back of the net to put Saint Anselm in front 1-0 in the 84th minute.
 
Just 64 seconds later, Franklin Pierce answered after Olivia Crespo's crossing pass into the box found the head of Mackenzie Shean, who redirected the ball past the leap of Swidorski to even the score at 1-1 in the 86th minute.
 
After a stalemate in the first overtime, Saint Anselm finally found some holes in the Ravens' defense, with Botta, Deneen, and Cuccovia all putting shots on target, but Rosario continued to stand tall in net, leading to penalty kicks.
 
Both squads netted their first two attempts in the penalty shootout, followed by a pair of misses in the third round. Sophomore Catherine McCarthy broke the tie, sneaking the Hawks' fourth attempt into the net before Hohos made an incredible save on a shot down the middle to leave it up to Deneen.
 
With the championship on the line, Deneen stepped up and fired off a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner of the net just past the dive of Franklin Pierce goalie Jess Lacroix, to give Saint Anselm its first NE10 title in 34 years.

-Recap Provided By Saint Anselm Athletics-

NE10 All-Championship Team
United States Marine Corps Most Outstanding Player: Kaitlyn LeBrun, Saint Anselm
Madison Apicella, Adelphi
Scarlett Brookes, Saint Michael's
Samantha Breton, Franklin Pierce
Makenzie Shean, Franklin Pierce
Kate Crowley, Saint Anselm
Meghan Deneen, Saint Anselm

Elite 24 Award
Claudia Peirce
Senior
Health Science
3.938 GPA



 

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ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

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