Bruster's Game-Winner Sends Marywood to CSAC Championship
Brianna Bruster's rip in the 27th minute lifted Marywood to a 1-0 win in the CSAC semifinals

Bruster's Game-Winner Sends Marywood to CSAC Championship

Women's Soccer - 11/2/2016 8:43:00 PM

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Scranton, Pa. - Brianna Bruster's rip to the upper-left 90 off a feed from Julie Youngman in the 27th minute was all Marywood University needed to advance to the CSAC Women's Soccer Championship game as the top-seeded Pacers defeated #5 Gwynedd Mercy University 1-0 Wednesday evening in Scranton.

Marywood (10-5-2) stayed unbeaten (5-0-1) in their last six games, all of which have come by shutout. The Pacers will host #3 Centenary University Saturday at 1:00 pm in the CSAC title match with a berth to the NCAA Division III tournament on the line.  The Cyclones dropped #2 Cabrini University 3-0 Wednesday evening after falling to the Cavaliers by an identical score several weeks ago.

Marywood's win over Gwynedd Mercy snapped a two-game post-season losing streak to the Griffins.  The Pacers controlled tempo throughout, outshooting the visitors 25-7 (13-2 on goal) on the night.  Aly Moyer made the two stops she needed to to preserve her fourth solo clean sheet of the season.

While Bruster's heroics came midway through the first half, they also came less than five minutes after she entered the match.  Replacing Emily Gerbehy at attacking midfield, Bruster took a feed from Youngman off the left flank and one-timed a shot to the upper-90 from 25 yards out past the outstretched arms of GMU keeper Kailey Hopkins.

Despite GMU getting some dangerous looks in the second half, Marywood only conceeded three shots in the stanza.

Hopkins had 12 saves on the night, several at close range, to keep the Griffins within striking distance for the entire 90 minutes.

Saturday's Championship match will be the third for Marywood and first since 2009. Marywood won the CSAC title in 2008 and fell to Cabrini in overtime in 2009 to earn a runner-up finish.  It will mark the first title match between the two programs.  Centenary defeated Marywood 1-0 in the 2014 first round in Hackettstown.  Marywood defeated Centenary 2-1 in double overtime on September 27 on a game-winner from Youngman.
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