?NCAA QUARTERFINAL RECAP
Franklin Pierce defeats Shepherd, 2-1
Shepherd's incredible season came to a close in the NCAA quarterfinals with a 2-1 loss to Franklin Pierce. After a scoreless first half, Franklin Pierce put home two goals to take a 2-0 lead (in the 55th and 75th minutes.) Shepherd brought a goal back in the 81st minute with a brilliant cross to the back post that Josie Beezel guided into the net with her boot to bring the Rams within a goal, but they ran out of time to complete the comeback. Shepherd held a 16-8 advantage on shots in the game, with four on target compared to Franklin Pierce's five. The Rams end the season with an overall record of 18-2-4.
ATLANTIC REGION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECAP
Shepherd defeats Gannon, 1-0
Shepherd kept its dream season going with a 1-0 victory over Gannon, advancing to the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer quarterfinals. Josie Beezel tallied the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute, sliding behind the Gannon defense and slotting the ball past Golden Knights' backup keeper Olivia Rosenberger, who had entered the game after an injury. Beezel has come alive offensively in the postseason, with a goal in three of the last four games (scoring against Slippery Rock and Kutztown in the PSAC tournament) to increase her season total to four goals. Gannon as a team led in shots, 16 to 11, and corner kicks, nine to three -- but the Rams' defense and keeper Hannah Wilt (11 saves) kept them off the scoreboard.
Shepherd will face Franklin Pierce in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Dec. 7.
SECOND ROUND RECAPS
Gannon defeats Kutztown, 3-2
A goal from Gannon's Paige Taylor with just 29 seconds left in the game proved to be the difference between the Golden Knights and Kutztown, who had eliminated Gannon from the PSAC Championship just a weekend earlier. Gannon was relentless offensively, pelting the Golden Bear goal to the tune of 24 shots (to KU's 5), and earning nine corner kicks to Kutztown's 2. KU took the lead in the 19th minute off the foot of Caroline McDonald, but Gannon rallied for a pair of goals in the first half, as Brooklyn Respecki tied the game in the 28th minute and Jessie Watkins put GU up 2-1 in the 42nd minute. Kutztown equalized in the 81st minute from Maura Day to try to force overtime, but Taylor belted in a long-distance shot that snuck into the top left corner of the goal to send Gannon on to the next round.
Shepherd defeats West Virginia State, 2-1
The Shepherd Rams' dream season continued with a 2-1 victory over West Virginia State on Sunday to advance to the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Atlantic Region Championship Game. SU put home two goals in the first half--Sarah Peternel in the 20th minute and Lydia Gable in the 37th--and defended the lead after that. West Virginia State tallied 17 total shots (four on target) while Shepherd managed eight (five on target). Each team's keeper made three saves and Shepherd led in corner kicks, three to one.
FIRST ROUND RECAPS
Gannon defeats Frostburg State, 4-1
The Gannon offense was dialed in despite unfavorable conditions in its 4-1 victory over Frostburg State on Friday afternoon. In the wind and the rain, Gannon struck first from a corner kick, as Jessie Watkins headed in Gabby Boden's cross to take the lead in just the fourth minute of the game. Just eight minutes later, Jamie Seneca scored an absolute belter from outside the box into the top right corner of the net to take a 2-0 lead. Two more goals in the second half from Grace Emanuel and Brooklyn Respecki added to Gannon's advantage as they advanced to play Kutztown on Sunday -- the team that eliminated them in the semifinals of the PSAC Championship, 2-1.
West Virginia State defeats IUP, 2-1 (2OT)
IUP's season came to a close in double overtime against West Virginia State. IUP's Julia Csernyik scored in the third minute of the game to give the Crimson Hawks the lead, and they took the 1-0 lead into halftime. West Virginia State equalized in the 62nd minute to force eventual overtime, and then just three minutes into the second OT period, a cutback pass from Sara Paris Filter found Karissa Vela for the game-winner. IUP ends the season with an 11-3-4 overall record.
Kutztown defeats Charleston, 2-1
Dealing with an excessive amount of rain and windy conditions in Erie, Pa., the Kutztown Golden Bears dispatched Charleston, 2-1, to advance to the next round of the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Atlantic Regional. KU opened the scoring in the 8th minute from a Katelyn Economopoulous corner kick, as it whizzed in right to the boot of Caroline McDonald, who slotted it into the bottom right corner of the net. Charleston responded with a Morrow Charle strike to equalize at 1-1 in the 13th minute, but another Economopoulos corner proved to be the difference in the 32nd minute, as it found the head of Bridget Curtis, who nodded it up and over the keeper for the game-winning goal.
INDIANAPOLIS – Four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference women’s soccer programs were selected to compete in the 2024 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship, the NCAA announced Monday evening: Shepherd, Gannon, Kutztown, and IUP.
The 2024 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship features 56 teams and begins on Friday, Nov. 22.
The No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region is 2024 PSAC champion Shepherd (16-1-4 overall). The Rams came from behind to defeat Kutztown in last Sunday's PSAC title game, 3-2, and will host the winner of No. 4 seed West Virginia State and No. 5 seed IUP (11-2-4 overall), which is making its first NCAA appearance since the 2009 season. IUP and West Virginia State play on Friday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m., with the winner facing Shepherd on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m.
The other host in the Atlantic Region is No. 2 seed Gannon (14-1-4 overall), which lost its first game of the season to Kutztown last week in the PSAC semifinals but will open up the NCAA tournament against No. 7 seed Frostburg State on Friday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. No. 3 seed Kutztown will return to Erie for the second consecutive weekend, this time to face Charleston -- with that game set for 12 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22.
Complete bracket information can be found
here.