The NEWMAC Title game will be played on the same field Sunday at 1 pm with host Springfield taking on MIT.
Semifinal #1 -- Springfield 3, Clark 0
With the win, Springfield raises its record to 14-3-1, while Clark ends its season at 7-9-3.
Springfield drew first blood at the 20:15 mark. senior forward Katie Mantie (Wallingford, Conn.) slipped a pass between two Clark defenders to senior midfielder Jackie Moscardelli (Weymouth, Mass.) in front of the net. Moscardelli shot it to the right side of the net past Clark senior goalkeeper Audrey Eisemann (Worcester, Mass.) for the early 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the final minute of the first half. After a Pride corner kick led to a crowd in front of the Cougars’ net, sophomore midfielder Karleigh Bradbury (South Portland, Me.) emerged with the loose ball. Bradbury turned and fired to the top left corner of the net for Springfield’s second strike and a 2-0 halftime lead.
Springfield scored a third goal at 75:21. Senior forward Amber Thornton (Troy, N.Y.) fired from 30 yards and found the top left corner for the score. The goal, which ricocheted off the left post, put the Pride up 3-0, which would stand as the final score.
Springfield outshot Clark, 17-4 for the contest. Eisemann stopped six shots while Pride junior goalkeeper Erin Greenstein (Framingham, Mass.) recorded three saves and the shutout.
Semifinal #2 -- MIT 2, Wheaton 1 (2OT)
MIT, the #3 seed in the tournament, improves to 14-3-2 with the win and advances to the NEWMAC Championship game on Sunday afternoon at 1 pm for a showdown with Springfield College. Wheaton is now 15-3-3 and is still hoping for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
MIT got on the board first just four minutes into the contest. Merricka Livingstone’s shot from the right side was touched by Wheaton goalie Lindsay Leddy, but bounced into the net for the 1-0 Engineer lead.
With less than ten minutes to go in the second half, Wheaton drew even. Emily Vincunas hit a cross that led Gabriella Verde perfectly into a header. The goal tied things up at 1-1 and set up overtime.
In the first overtime period, Wheaton had a chance to steal the victory. Vincunas hit a nice cross that curved towards the net but deflected off of the cross bar.
After a scoreless first overtime session, MIT regained momentum in the second overtime. The Engineers used a free kick to set up the eventual game-winner. Emily Kuo found Leslie Meyer in the center of the box and Meyer ripped a shot past Leddy for the win.
It sets up a rematch of the NEWMAC Final in 2009 when the same two teams competed. On that occasion, MIT came out the winner.
John Gibson, a native of London, England, enters his 13th season as head women's soccer at Springfield College in the fall of 2012. Gibson has led the Pride to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last seven years and has established the Pride as one of the top programs in the country. His clubs have registered an impressive a 152-70-19 record.
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