By Joseph Caruso
Sports Editor
The College’s women’s soccer season came to an end after a gut-wrenching loss via penalty kicks in the New Jersey Athletic Conference semifinals against Rowan.
The College enjoyed a very successful regular season that saw them cruise to nine wins, including a five-game winning streak to conclude their conference play heading into the NJAC tournament.
In the quarterfinals, they faced off against Stockton University, whom they had lost to in their only regular season matchup this year, 3-2.
The College wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, as they came out ultra-aggressive against the Ospreys, scoring at the 4:01 mark when sophomore Maggie Murphy capitalized on a chance to put the Lions on the board, converting on an assist from Raquel Garces to put the College ahead 1-0 less than five minutes into the game.
Not much later, with 22 minutes gone by, Murphy found herself in the middle of the action again, assisting on the Lions' second straight goal scored by sophomore Lexi Caruso. The College would continue to hold off Stockton into the end of the half, holding a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room.
Throughout the whole game, the College dominated in opportunities, similarly to they have all season, outshooting Stockton 15-3, allowing just one shot on goal from the Ospreys the entire game.
Now in the second half, the College kept their foot on the gas, and eventually broke the game wide open with a goal from Murphy, her second of the game, to cap off a magnificent performance.
The score would hold at 3-0, as the College would take home an impressive victory to advance to the next round of the NJAC Tournament, and would take on Rowan in Glassboro.
Rowan, ranked 11th, has had an excellent season of their own, finishing second in the NJAC, boasting a 7-0-2 conference record.
This was a much different game script for the College, getting dominated in the shots department, losing the battle 22-4, with the College just putting two shots on goal the entire game.
In a standout performance from sophomore goalkeeper Ellen Williams, the College did not allow a single goal throughout the entire game, with Williams making nine spectacular saves to keep their season alive.
On the other hand, Rowan also stymied the College’s offense, denying them of a goal through 90 minutes, as the game remained 0-0 through extra time, forcing penalty kicks.
Ultimately, Rowan prevailed 3-1 in penalties to end the Lions season in heartbreaking fashion.
It was the 12th straight season the Lions advanced to the NJAC semifinals, and with a promising group of underclassmen, this team has lots to look forward to in the future.
