Elon, James Madison Advance in CAA Women's Soccer Championship 1st Round
Bill Potter
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 1, 2019) – Lower seeds prevailed in the first round of the CAA Women’s Soccer Championship, as No. 5 Elon and No. 6 James Madison collected victories. Elon used a late goal to knock off No. 4 Northeastern, 2-1, while James Madison scored three consecutive goals on its way to a 3-2 win against No. 3 UNCW.
Elon (12-5-2) advances to play No. 1 seed Hofstra at 1 p.m. on Sunday from the Hofstra Soccer Complex, while James Madison (8-11-1) will meet No. 2 Delaware at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium in Newark, Del.
(4) Elon 2, (5) Northeastern 1
Making its CAA Women’s Soccer Championship debut, Elon used a goal from Jessica Carrieri in the 88
th minute to break a 1-1 deadlock and defeat Northeastern, 2-1, in the tournament’s first round.
The Phoenix jumped out to an early lead in the 7
th minute, as All-CAA First Team pick Hannah Doherty converted a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box for her second goal of the season. Doherty’s strike went into the upper right corner of the net.
Trailing going into the half, Northeastern would equalize 18 minutes into the second half behind Kayla McCauley’s third goal of the season. McCauley’s goal followed a Chelsea Domond shot that was tipped to the crossbar.
For the match, Northeastern outshot Elon, 18-9, and hit the woodwork on four separate occasions.
With both teams looking for the potential match-winner, Elon found just that in the 88
th minute. Carson Jones sent a through ball to freshman Jessica Carrieri, who slotted home her ninth-goal of the season.
The Phoenix would not allow a Northeastern attempt on goal in the final 2:02 to preserve the program’s first CAA tournament win.
Katrin Hauksdottir made eight saves in goal for the Phoenix.
Northeastern, which had its four-match winning streak snapped, wrapped its season at 8-10-1.
(6) James Madison 3, (2) UNCW
James Madison overcame an early one-goal deficit, potting three consecutive goals and holding off UNCW late to earn a 3-2 victory in the first round of the CAA championship.
The Dukes found themselves behind early, as UNCW opened a 1-0 lead 16 minutes into the match behind Morgan Nanni’s strike from 25 yards out, her sixth goal of the season.
JMU would answer nine minutes later, as UNCW was whistled for a hand ball in the 18-yard box. Haley Crawford beat UNCW goalkeeper Sydney Schneider for her fifth goal of the season.
As the clock neared halftime, James Madison would find itself in front with Crawford playing a key role once more. Crawford sent a pass into the penalty area and found junior Ginger Deel, whose one-timer beat Schneider to the far side.
Leading 2-1 at the break, the Dukes would extend their lead to two shortly into the second half. This time, it was Deel who sent a cross into the penalty area, which found Foley for a one-timer just outside the six-yard box.
With time ticking down, Audrey Harding cut the Seahawks' deficit to 3-2 as she took a long run and fired a shot from 16 yards past McShea into the lower right corner for her team-leading seventh goal of the season with seven seconds remaining in regulation.
With the win, James Madison advances to the semifinals of the CAA Women’s Soccer Championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
UNCW, which entered the match 17-1-2 over the last two seasons when scoring first, wraps its season with a 10-6-1 record.