Bay Path Advances to NECC Semifinals after a 3-2 Shootout over Newbury

LONGMEADOW, Mass. – The #3 Bay Path College Wildcats advance to the semifinal round on Thursday after a 0-0 double overtime tie with #6 Newbury College Nighthawks in the first round today of the 2013 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Women's Soccer Championships. The Wildcats' freshman goalkeeper Alma Rizvani (Prospect, Conn.) was stellar between the sticks including three saves in the shoot-out to advance her team with a 3-2 margin.

The Wildcats definitely controlled the game offensively outshooting the Nighthawks 38-7. They also had the advantage with corner kicks 14-1 for the match.

Rizvani  tallied seven saves, in addition to three during the shootout,  including a game saver in the 98^th minute of play in the first overtime session when sophomore forward Corrin Niski (Oxford, Conn.) broke through Bay Path's back line and went 1V1 with Rizvani.  

Rizvani (6-3-1) notched her fourth shut-out facing nine shots and seven on goal. In the shoot-out she blocked three of the five shots the Nighthawks took including sophomore Niki Pelliccio's (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), sophomore Sonja Theriault's (Nashua, N.H.) and Niski's shots.

The first two shots Newbury made came from freshman Nicole Kaufman (Miami, Fla.) and Carly Gibbard (Commack, N.Y.).

Sophomore goalie Elizabeth Fox (Ororno, Maine) allowed three shots made while saving one in the shoot-out. Fox (3-8-1) faced 38 shots with 16 saves, and zero goals against for the tie.

Fox recorded one save in the shoot-out in Bay Path's second shot from senior Rachael Barber (Lynn, Mass.)

Senior Emily Serrano (Savoy, Mass.), sophomore Brittany Briggs (Arlington, Va.) and junior Megan Tancredi (Newington, Conn.) all made their shots for the Wildcats.

Senior Keelin Dougherty (Northfield, N.H.) was the only player that did not have to shoot for Bay Path. Dougherty led all players in shots with 10 and five on goal for the match.

#3 Bay Path advances to face the winner of the #2 Elms vs. #7 Becker match on Thursday, October 31^st. Bay Path is now 9-6-2 overall, while Newbury concludes their 2013 campaign at 4-10-1. This is the first time for the Wildcats to make the NECC Championships in women's soccer prior to joining the NECC in 2007, the Wildcats made post season play in 2006.

NECC WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS

Tues, 11/29 - First Round 
#2 Elms 5 def. #7 Becker 0 
#3 Bay Path 0 def. #6 Newbury 0 (Shootout 3-2)
#4 Regis 2 def. #5 Southern Vermont 1

Thurs,10/31 - Semifinals
#4 Regis at #1 Lesley
#3 Bay Path at #2 Elms

Sat, 11/2 – Championship