Marywood Advances to CSAC Final with 2-1 Win
Lisa Gavin (3) scored an important early goal for Marywood and Steph Hoffman (background) shut down GMC's top scorer

Marywood Advances to CSAC Final with 2-1 Win

Women's Soccer - 11/4/2009 4:36:02 PM

Box Score

Scranton, PA - Marywood University scored two early goals and held of a furious second half rally from visiting Gwynedd-Mercy College as the top-seeded Pacers advanced to Saturday's Colonial States Athletic Conference Championship with a 2-1 win over the fifth-seeded Griffins Wednesday afternoon in Scranton. Marywood extended their program record unbeaten streak to 15 games and have equaled the program record for wins in a season with 14. The Pacers (14-2-1) advance to the title game for the second consecutive year while GMC ends their season at 10-10.

Marywood entered Tuesday's semifinal game with the 9th ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 3.88 goals per game. Pacers' senior Lisa Gavin (Woodbury Heights, NJ) wasted little time justifying that ranking as she buried a shot into the left upper ninety just 4:33 into the game to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Gavin finished a drop ball from fellow senior Lisa Hanselman (Manheim, PA), who picked up her third assist of the year after settling a cross to Gavin's foot.

Exactly 8:30 later, freshman Siobhan Blancaflor (Haddam, CT) capitalized on a goalkeeping miscue and finished into an empty net. A long lofted ball was misjudged by Griffin net-minder Kristie Pollock, and Blancaflor finished after the ball bounced behind Pollock. The Griffins nearly scored midway through the opening half but Marywood keeper Meghan Coyle (Endicott, NY) made a brilliant tip-save on a breakaway attempt to preserve the two-goal lead. Marywood out-shot the visitors 7-4 in the opening half and had three corner kicks to GMC's one.

In the second half, the Griffins, fighting to keep their season alive, stepped up the offensive pressure by running three forwards. After several dangerous chances including one shot ricocheting off the top of the crossbar in the opening 15 minutes of the half, it seemed destined that the Griffins would be unlucky and not find the back of the net. That all changed with just under twenty minutes left as Kirstyn Vargas found the back of the net on the far post on a beautifully placed chip shot to the far post. But from there the Pacers defense clamped down and allowed no more dangerous opportunities while the Pacers offense forced Pollock to make two nices saves in the closing minutes to keep it a one-goal game.

Marywood out-shot GMC 15-9 for the game and had a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks. Coyle registered three saves for the win, while Pollock made six stops in goal for the Griffins.

Marywood will play second-seed Cabrini College, a 3-1 winner over three-seed Centenary College in Saturday's CSAC Championship at 3:00 pm with the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament on the line. The Championship game will be at a neutral site this year as Immaculata University's Draper Walsh Stadium will host the CSAC Fall Championship Festival with all fall sport championship contests (except women's tennis) taking place on Immaculata's campus.
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