RINDGE, NH – It took penalty kicks for The College of Saint Rose to win its second consecutive Northeast-10 Conference Championship. Nevertheless, sophomore midfielder Amanda Deck buried the fifth and final attempt in the right corner that allowed the Golden Knights to take a 5-3 triumph after playing to a 1-1 double-overtime draw at Franklin Pierce this afternoon.

“We practiced penalty kicks a lot over the last two weeks,” said Deck, who set up the game-winner in last year's championship game. “We have a young team and totally changed our mentality before we stepped out onto the field today. We put the past behind us, played our own game and got the job done.”

Saint Rose (16-3-2), the 21st-ranked team in the country (Division II), became only the fourth team since 1985 to capture back-to-back titles. The two clubs had met on four previous occasions in postseason play prior to this afternoon, with 13th-ranked Franklin Pierce taking all four encounters.

“I told them before we went out for penalty kicks that we were going to do this for every player that ever put on a Saint Rose uniform,” said head coach Laurie Darling Gutheil. “They were prepared, went out their poised and took care of business.”

The Golden Knights knocked home all five attempts during the shootout as three freshmen and senior forward Kailey Egbert preceded Deck's winner. In addition, junior keeper Shannon Murphy stopped the second shot she saw diving to her left, which opened the door for Saint Rose to seal the title.

“That stop was huge,” said Murphy, who garnered tournament Most Outstanding Player honors following the match. “It really boosted my confidence and took some pressure off our shooters. We knew a couple of their shooters going in and all the work I have done within the past few weeks reading shooters finally paid off.”

Following a fairly even first half, the Golden Knights finally got on the board 1:43 into the second half on their first of eight corner kicks in the contest. Freshman midfielder Christina Cuffari served the ball near the top of the goalie box and Egbert finished off a well-designed run by burying a header top shelf for her sixth marker of the season that gave Saint Rose a 1-0 edge.

The pace quickened after the strike as the Ravens continued to apply pressure in an effort to find the equalizer. Franklin Pierce, which outshot Saint Rose by an 8-2 margin in the second period, found the answer in the 84th minute. Junior All-American Gabriela Demoner triggered the opportunity by slipping a pass from the center for sophomore forward Angelika Johansson. Johansson fired a low shot that found the inside of the far post from eight-yards out for her 29th tally of the season, which leads the country.

The two overtime sessions did little to produce a winner. The Ravens got off one shot in each of the 10-minute intervals and did not allow the Golden Knights to get a clean look. Both keepers were solid as Murphy wound up with six saves, while senior keeper Brittany Ester turned aside two shots for Franklin Pierce.

“We have always focused on playing as a team,” said Darling Gutheil. “I told the girls to focus with positive energy today. I thought they did a real nice job. Franklin Pierce is a great team and we have a lot of respect for them. We played together and that is what makes this team special.”

Saint Rose, which earned the league's automatic bid, will make its third straight appearance and sixth in seven years in the NCAA Division II Tournament that is scheduled to begin on Friday, November 14. The selection show will take place at 4:30 pm tomorrow.

2008 Northeast-10 Women's Soccer All-Championship Team
Gabriela Demoner, Franklin Pierce
Rachel Smith, Franklin Pierce
Jamie Gillis, UMass Lowell
Caitlin Hall, Merrimack
Selina Moyan, New Haven
Jen Pearl, Saint Anselm
Kailey Egbert, Saint Rose
Shannon Murphy, Saint Rose
Katie Whiting, Saint Rose
Ashley Knight, Southern Connecticut
Kristina Cardoso, Southern New Hampshire
Most Outstanding Player - Shannon Murphy, Saint Rose

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