Box Score

ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose struck three times within a six-minute span in the opening 15 minutes of the second half en route to a 5-0 victory against visiting 22nd ranked Merrimack today in an NCAA Division II Tournament second-round affair at Sullivan Field at the Plumeri Sports Complex.

The 10th ranked Golden Knights (20-1-1) now move on to the third round (field of 16) to face UMass Lowell (11-5-4) on Friday, November 18 to determine the East Regional champion at a location and time to be announced. The River Hawks, who played Saint Rose to a 1-1 draw back on September 9 in Albany, advanced via penalty kicks at third-ranked Bridgeport today.

The East Regional champion is then subsequently scheduled to host the Atlantic Regional champion, either 22nd ranked Slippery Rock, PA (16-4-2) or second-ranked California, PA (19-0-2); in a national quarterfinal match on Sunday, November 20. The winner will punch its ticket to the national semifinals in Pensacola, FL.

In today's match with the Warriors (16-3-2), the Golden Knights displayed the nation's top scoring offense by taking advantage of severe wind gusts at their back that allowed them to outshoot Merrimack by a 15-4 margin throughout the final 45 minutes.

Sophomore forward Carmelina Puopolo scored twice including what held up as the game-winner with 54:03 elapsed and then added her Northeast-10 Conference leading 15th strike of the year with 73:07 gone by. Puopolo went topside left on the first one after intercepting a clearing attempt and then finished a feed from senior midfielder Brittany Godin to cap the scoring.

Puopolo also returned the favor to Godin by slipping the latter a quick touch in the area that Godin pounded into the back of the net to make it a 3-0 affair with 60:00 erased off the clock. Four minutes earlier, sophomore midfielder Sydney Bond touched in a deflection off a Merrimack defender for the game's second goal. Freshman forward Brittany Barry pretty much removed all doubt with her 13th goal of the year that made it 4-0 Saint Rose at the 68:09 mark.

Sophomore keeper Jessica Gerski made five saves throughout the game's initial 73 minutes to chalk up her 19th victory this autumn. Freshman Lauren Minkoff came up with one save during the last 17 minutes. For Merrimack, senior keeper Kiley Horne gathered in six threats on-target.