Augustine Makes Four Saves as Women's Soccer Faces Bridgeport in ECC Semifinals
Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Despite four saves from senior goalie Nicole Augustine (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) and two shots on goal from freshman Haley Noble (Torrance, Calif./Torrance), the No. 4 seed Mercy College women's soccer team fell to the No. 1 seed University of Bridgeport, 2-0, in an East Coast Conference (ECC) semifinal matchup at Knights Field on Thursday afternoon.
The Mavericks (8-6-2) fail to make it back to the final after appearing in the championship game each of the last two years, while the Purple Knights (17-1-1) will continue their season in the championship game on Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks put up a tough fight throughout the contest, firing off a total of nine shots, five of which were on goal. In the first half, the Mavericks controlled the game offensively, with both teams firing off four shots and the Mavericks holding a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks for the half.
Offensively, senior Jessica DeLeon (Phoenix, Ariz./Paradise Valley CC), freshman Kendall Wright (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) and sophomore Heidi Serna (West Covina, Calif./South Hills) added shots on goal.
It would be Augustine's four saves in the second half that would hold the Purple Knights to just two goals for the game. Jennifer Wendelius made five saves for the Purple Knights to earn the shutout.
For the Purple Knights, Flo Gamby finished with a goal and an assist for the win. Teammate Jess Laszlo also finished with one goal in the game. Rebecka Ronnegard added an assist for Bridgeport.
Just 15:08 into the contest, Laszlo scored on a header in the middle of the box off of a floating pass from Gamby. After 48 minutes of scoreless play, Gamby would finish off of a header following a free kick at 63:54 to make the score 2-0, which would eventually be the final.
The Purple Knights ended the night with a 12-9 shots advantage, while the Mavericks maintained 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
