Box Score
WEST CHESTER, PA – The College of Saint Rose will be making a familiar journey that could potentially lead to a second consecutive national championship. The Golden Knights scored three times within less than a five minute span of the first half to punch their ticket to a fifth straight Championship Finals (national semifinals and final) appearance behind a 4-1 victory against host West Chester in a national quarterfinal encounter earlier today.
“We have just been working so hard to get to this point. We've had to incorporate a lot of new players into our style of play and so it has been very rewarding. The national championship and a chance to go back to the final four means a lot to the upperclassmen because now the younger players will have the chance to experience what we have.in past years,” said senior back
Molly Harpster, the squad's lone senior starter.
The game was fairly evenly played as 20th-ranked Saint Rose (20-2-2) engineered a 16-12 shot advantage although the Golden Rams (15-5-1) developed an 8-5 corner kick advantage, including a 6-4 differential in the second half.
Regardless, four different student-athletes figured in the goal scoring for a well-balanced Golden Knights (20-2-2) effort. Meanwhile, junior keeper
Jessica Gerski made five of her six saves, including a pair of spectacular ones in the final 15 minutes, after the Golden Rams moved 10 players forward in an effort to cut into their deficit..
Harpster got the scoring started, junior forward
Carmelina Puopolo registered the game-winner, junior midfielder
Sydney Bond made it a 3-0 affair at halftime and freshman midfielder
Michaela Phillips struck in the early going of the second period to account for the scoring.
Harpster, who scored the game-winner with her first collegiate strike in last Sunday's 1-0 second-round victory at American International, came through again on a corner when she rifled a ball into the back of the net with 22:13 elapsed. Puopolo then dribbled into the area and finished with her school-record 20th strike of the season with 23:3 gone by. Bond then closed out the scoring flurry after she and Puopolo linked up via a pair of dynamic one-touches to create space.
Phillips eventually put the Golden Knights in the catbird seat by pouncing on a loose ball in the area. Freshman back Erica Schrock ruined the shutout when she finished off a feed from sophomore forward Carly Yost at the 61:49 mark.
Saint Rose will now meet second-ranked West Florida in a national quarterfinal game on Thursday, November 29 in Evans, GA.
Interactive Bracket
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