YORK, PA - The York College women's soccer team ended
their season Saturday afternoon with 3-0 loss to #2 Messiah in the
Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. The Spartan record
falls to 15-6-3 for the season while Messiah stays unbeaten and
untied at 21-0.
Messiah took control of the match in the opening stanza.
The Falcons' constant motion and systematic play opened up
numerous holes in the Spartan midfield. Emily Cope put her
squad up 1-0 when she hammered home her seventh goal of the season
in the 12th minute. After receiving a pass from Stef Rowe,
Cope danced on the ball at the top of the box before slotting it
inside the right post for the game's first score.
Barely five minutes later, Rowe got on the end of a great pass
into the box from Avie Fitzgerald and finished to the right side of
the goal. Rowe's team-leading 19th goal of the year
gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead at the half.
With their season on the line, the Spartans came out an inspired
squad in the second frame. Ten minutes into the period,
York's Erin Kuhn (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township)
gave the Spartans their best chance on goal. The senior
forward hit a shot that Messiah goalkeeper Brindley Beckwith
stopped but was unable to corral. An alert Kuhn tried to slip
in the rebound but a Falcon defender cleared it off the line.
The Spartans would be unable to turn the momentum into a goal.
In the 63rd minute of play, Erin Hench secured the Messiah
victory when she drilled home her shot from the top of the box into
the right side of the goal. Hench's unassisted tally
gives her 15 goals in 2007.
For the game, Messiah held a 16-6 lead in shots to go along with
an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Meagan Cahill (Crofton, Md./Arundel) and Desiree Halaka
(Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) combined in the Spartan net making
one and two saves respectively. Beckwith earned the win in
goal for the Falcons making four stops.
The Spartans bid farewell to six top-tier seniors. Kuhn,
Ashley Gross (York, Pa./Eastern York), Katie Kegerreis (Honey
Brook, Pa./Twin Valley), Jenna Knaper (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion),
Emily Sullivan (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding), and Emily Wolf
(Crofton, Md./Arundel) leave York as the most successful class in
the history of the program. Over their four seasons, York has
a combined record of 55-20-9. These seniors were also part of
the two best seasons in the school history, setting a program-best
by winning 14 games in 2006 before winning 15 games this year to go
along with a Capital Athletic Conference tournament championship
and a berth into the NCAA Sweet 16.
Messiah moves on to play Ithaca, Sunday at 1:00 pm at Graham
Field in the NCAA Elite Eight round. The Bombers were 1-0
winners over Wittenberg in the other half of the bracket. The
winner advances to the 2007 Final Four held at Disney's Wide
World of Sports.
GAME BOX
