Women's Soccer Earns Inaugural NECC Championship

ELMS COLLEGE CLAIMS INAUGURAL
NECC WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
Blazers outlast Lesley University in fifth round of shootout

Box score

CHICOPEE, MA, Nov. 8, 2008 - Elms College junior forward Serina Percoski (Westfield, MA) scored what stood as the game-winning goal in the fifth round of penalty kicks and freshman goalkeeper Kelly Callahan (Monson, MA) followed with the game-saving stop as the top-seeded Blazers earned the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Women's Soccer Tournament Championship over No. 2 Lesley University on Saturday afternoon at Leary Field.

Elms College, which went a perfect 8-0 en route to the NECC's regular season title, finished 10-7-1. Lesley, meanwhile, concluded its most successful season in program-history at 16-3-2.

With the match tied 1-1 following regulation and two 10-minute sudden death overtimes, the championship was then decided in penalty kicks.

In the first round of the shootout, Lesley junior goalkeeper Hailee Lowe (Hamilton, MA) stopped Elms College senior midfielder Alicia Bobbie (Higganum, CT) and junior forward Jodi Fralick (Woburn, MA) converted on her ensuing penalty kick to give Lesley a 1-0 lead.

The two teams then exchanged goals over the next two rounds as Lesley maintained the one-goal advantage.

In the fourth round, senior backup goalkeeper Shannon Donnelly (Florence, MA), who had not played in the game, stepped up big for the Blazers, as she calmly converted her penalty kick to tie the shootout.

Then, in the fifth round, Percoski slipped a shot just under a diving Lowe inside the post and Callahan then punched away freshman defender Tracy Potter's (Acton, MA) shot to secure the championship for the Blazers.

Lesley midfielder Jenna Fralick (Woburn, MA) had given the Lynx a 1-0 lead with her 10^th goal of the year in the 55^th minute, as she collected a loose ball inside the penalty spot and hammered a shot past Callahan.

Callahan responded in the 71^st minute, as she first robbed Jodi Fralick of a sure-goal with a beautiful diving stop from point-blank range to preserve the Blazers' 1-0 deficit.

Less than two minutes later, Elms College freshman forward Jen Killion (Cambridge, MA) collected a long pass from senior midfielder Kerrie Bowden (Chicopee, MA), broke past a pair of defenders, but was stopped point-blank by Lowe.

Killion, however, gathered her own rebound and slipped a shot just inside the far post to tie the game at 1-1.

Both goalkeepers were sensational in the match, as Callahan finished with nine saves, while Lowe turned away four shots.

For the game, Lesley owned a 21-11 advantage in shots, while the two teams each earned eight corner kicks.

NECC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Alexandra Fernandes (Becker), Shannon Tibbetts (Becker), Amy Waller (Daniel Webster), Kacie Lang (Daniel Webster), Cathryn Folkestad (Lesley), Lani Cabral-Pini (Lesley), Jenna Fralick (Lesley), Jodi Fralick (Lesley), Kelly Callahan (Elms), Alicia Bobbie (Elms), Jen Killion (Elms)

NECC TOURNAMENT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Justin Pereira (Elms)