Golden Rams score twice in final 16 minutes to clinch first Final Four berth

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (November 11, 2006) - West Chester (Pa.) University, ranked No. 2 in the final regular season National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, scored twice in the final 16-minutes to defeat No. 6-ranked Franklin Pierce, 2-1, in quarterfinal round action of the 2006 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championships on South Campus Soccer Field this afternoon.

Freshman Michele Kolenet (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley) capped the West Chester comeback with her seventh goal of the season with just 50-seconds remaining in regulation. Kolenet carried the ball down the right side before cutting across the top of the 18 and firing a low shot past the outstretched efforts of Franklin Pierce junior goalkeeper Jenna Mello (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) and into the left side of the net.

"For 75-minutes I thought we were in control," said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jeff Bailey. "We got the goal and looked fairly comfortable. They started to throw everything at us at the end, we made the mistake, it cost us, and the momentum shifted. We had a couple of good opportunities, but we were never able to regain the midfield anymore and there's always that chance they will get that late one. It's just not our year."

Franklin Pierce enjoyed the run of play through the second half, but defender Allison Haines (Honolulu, Hawaii/Roosevelt) turned the wrong way on a through ball from West Chester senior Casey McKinney (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern), which allowed freshman Rita Alton (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain) to collect the loose ball and score her first collegiate goal in the 75^th minute to equalize the match.

"I was able to tap it past the defender and then hit it inside the side netting," said Alton. "It's a great feeling as a redshirt freshman to be able to step up and do this for the upperclassmen."

"It was massive," said West Chester Head Coach Gerry Lucey. "It may not have been the prettiest goal, but it gave us a massive lift and obviously changed Franklin Pierce's mood too."

"The goal came at the wrong time for us with 15-minutes left in the half," said Bailey. "I thought if we could have held on longer, maybe they would have been forced to commit more players forward and we could have maybe stung them on the break. They got a goal at the perfect time for them and obviously the second one gives you no time to come back."           

After neither team really instilled their will in the first half, Franklin Pierce took charge from the opening whistle of the second half and were rewarded for their efforts in the 55^th minute when junior Laura Stockdale (Sunderland, England) connected with classmate Gabriela Demoner (Curitiba, Brazil). Demoner fired a low shot from the top of the 18 in the left channel that beat West Chester sophomore goalkeeper Hilary Smart (Enola, Pa./Cumberland Valley) to her right for her team-leading 15^th goal of the season.

"Twice this year we fell behind and both times we came back with a lot of fire in us," said Lucey. "I wasn't worried about the girls getting deflated, I was more worried about them getting out of our game plan. I was happy with how we kept playing and kept our composure and were still able to create our chances."

Demoner had two more chances to make her mark in the match after the Golden Rams were able to equalize. Her first came right off the kickoff after WCU's goal as she broke in one-on-one with Smart, but the ball took a high bounce, forcing Demoner's shot to push high and wide of the target.

"The goal mouth is a little rough and I think the first one bubbled up on the shin for her," said Bailey. "The second one the keeper came out and made a good save. You either make your chances or you don't and that's the difference."

Smart made two saves in an 81^st minute flurry, the first coming when Demoner again broke through the West Chester defense one-on-one with the keeper, but Smart made an excellent stop and then got a hand to Haines shot off the rebound.

"I gave her the first one and I wasn't giving her the second one," said Smart. "I was pretty fired up and we weren't going to lose after that."

Smart finished with four saves to preserve the victory for West Chester, who makes its first trip to the Final Four in program history. Mello finished with five stops for the Ravens, who were out-shot by the hosts, 12-11, including 8-7 in the second half.

"I honestly thought Franklin Pierce was going to take it there," said Lucey. "(Demoner) had a couple of opportunities there to seal the game. They were a good team, the strongest opposition we have faced this season without a doubt. It could have gone either way, we were just fortunate to put our last one away."

West Chester (23-0-0) will face No. 12 Metro State University in a national semifinal match on Thursday. Metro State topped No. 3 UC San Diego, 2-0, in another quarterfinal in Denver, Colo., this afternoon. The match will be played as part of the NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival in Pensacola, Fla., with the National Championship match slated for Saturday, November 18.

Franklin Pierce (18-3-1) sees its season come to a close one game shy of the Final Four for just the second time in the last 15 years. The Ravens captured their record seventh-straight Northeast-10 Tournament title and 11^th-consecutive NCAA New England Regional crowns this season.

MATCH STATISTICS & PLAY-BY-PLAY