WALTHAM, MA – Saint Rose closed out its 2013 regular-season campaign and registered its 15th clean sheet of the season with Saturday's 4-0 victory at Northeast-10 Conference rival Bentley.
The Golden Knights (16-0-2/12-0-2 NE-10) had already secured their eighth consecutive regular-season conference championship and thus will host an NE-10 championship quarterfinal this Tuesday against an undetermined opponent.
The fifth-ranked Golden Knights engineered a 15-2 shot advantage, including a 9-2 differential in shots-on-target, and developed 17 corner kick opportunities while yielding only one.
Six different players figured in the scoring. Junior back Jourdan Thompson scored two goals while sophomore midfielder Michaela Phillips and senior midfielder Allison Schmidt had one apiece. Fellow senior midfielder Sydney Bond set up two of the strikes, while freshman midfielder Emily Meeks and senior midfielder Niki Smith each had an assist as well.
Senior keeper Jessica Gerski was called upon to make one save in each half. At the other end, junior Christiana Hynds recorded five saves for the Falcons (2-12-2/1-11-2 NE-10).
The Golden Knights got out to a quick start. Thompson headed home a corner from Meeks just 10 minutes in to make it 1-0 Saint Rose, which is where it stood at the break. Phillips then finished a Bond cross from the right wing just two minutes into the second period, before Thompson got her head to another Bond cross that made it 3-0 with 60:07 elapsed. Schmidt closed out the scoring when she got in the air to deposit a Smith delivery into the back of the net.
No. 7 California (Pa.) 2, Millersville 0
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. -- Senior Stephanie Thompson scored both Vulcan goals in the team's 2-1 win against Millersville in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match on Saturday night.
Seventh-ranked California (Pa.) concludes the regular season at 15-2-1 overall and 15-1 in conference play. The Vulcans will be the top seed in the PSAC Tournament that begins on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Marauders finish the season at 7-8-1 in the PSAC and 8-9-1 overall.
Thompson gave the Vulcans the lead with her first goal of the game right before the 19th minute. She headed in a free kick off the foot of sophomore Danielle Macleary to put California up 1-0.
Neither team put the ball in the back of the net for the next 60 minutes until Millersville finally broke through in the 76th minute to even the score at 1-1.
The Vulcans did not waste much time responding as less than three minutes later Thompson headed in another free kick, this one from junior Erin Hogan, to put California back on top at 2-1.
Freshman Meghan Jayes made a pair of saves in the final 10 minutes of the match to secure the victory for the Vulcans. Jayes matched a season-high with six saves in the match to backstop California to the win.
Both teams attempted nine shots, but the Vulcans attempted nine corner kicks, while the Marauders took none.
No. 8 American International 2, Franklin Pierce 0
RINDGE, N.H. -- American International earned a 2-0 victory on Saturday against the Franklin Pierce Ravens in the final game of the 2013 Northeast-10 regular season schedule, setting a date with rival Assumption on Tuesday night in the first round of the NE-10 tournament.
AIC ends the regular season at 14-1-2 and 11-1-2 in conference play, good enough for second place, while the Ravens finish their regular season at 7-7-3 overall and 6-6-2 in the NE-10.
The Ravens battled for the first 44 minutes, keeping the Yellow Jackets off the board, but in the final minute of the first frame, AIC finally pushed through, when sophomore forward Alyssa Werbicki banged a ball in front that bounced off of a body and right to junior forward Sonia Basma for her 15th of the season at 44:11.
That goal would prove to be the only one AIC needed; although they did add a late insurance marker when sophomore midfielder Meimi Tomochika shot the ball from the top of the box into the upper right corner of the cage for her second of the season at 85:26 for the 2-0 win.
Junior keeper Samantha Tabak made a pair of saves for her league-leading 12th shutout of the season, improving to 12-1-2 on the campaign; sophomore Katie Weldon made three saves in the loss to fall to 7-7-3 on the season.
No. 10 North Georgia 2, South Carolina Aiken 0
AIKEN, South Carolina -- North Georgia used a goal in each half to earn a 2-0 Peach Belt Conference road win in the team's regular-season finale. Jacy Ramey headed home a corner kick from Mackenzie Robbins midway through the first half to provide the game-winning tally.
Ramey's goal was the freshman's third of the season and her second game winner with her last coming on Sept. 11 in the Nighthawks' 2-1 home victory against Lincoln Memorial.
In the first half UNG would hold a 6-1 advantage in shots and the Nighthawks were able to force USCA keeper Melissa Westphal to gather three saves in addition to the goal. The second period saw the host Pacers outshoot North Georgia 4-1 but USCA was able to put one on frame.
The single shot that North Georgia was able to put on goal proved to be much-needed insurance. Kelly Penston would register her league-leading 15th tally of the season on a header following a well-placed cross from Robbins less than five minutes into the second period. The pair of assists were the senior's first helpers of the season.
North Georgia improves to 12-4-1 overall and 7-3-1 in Peach Belt play while USC Aiken falls to 8-8-2 and 3-6-2 in league play. UNG ends the regular season in fifth place in the Peach Belt standings
