Senior
Samantha Rock scored two second-half goals in a matter of a minute and 21 seconds to help the third-seeded St. Lawrence women's soccer team upset No. 2 RIT, 3-1, in the Liberty League semifinal in Rochester on Wednesday. With the win, the Saints advance to their second consecutive conference championship match and second appearance in program history.
"I was very proud of our level of intensity throughout the game," Head Coach
Franco Bari said. "We came out determined, composed and confident which allowed us to score spectacular goals."
The Saints overpowered the Tigers in the first half, outshooting them 17-2 and carrying a 1-0 lead into the break.
In the 29
th minute, senior
Emily DePoy one-timed a cross from sophomore
Katie Stames behind RIT goalkeeper Kelly Rogers for her fourth of the season.
RIT found the equalizer in the 65
th minute when Danielle Losquadro beat
Kelsey West with a shot from the edge of the box.
The Saints only registered two shots in the second half, but that would be all they would need.
Rock scored her first of the day in the 75
th minute to help St. Lawrence regain the lead when she headed a long cross from outside back
Amy Reunert into the left upper 90.
She then added the insurance tally one minute and 21 seconds later with a one-time shot in the box off a free kick by DePoy.
"While we came out a little flat in the second half, our response to their goal was very impressive," Bari added. "I'm extremely proud of our efforts this afternoon."
St. Lawrence finished with a 19-7 advantage in shots and 7-5 edge in shots on goal. They also earned six corner kick opportunities without conceding a corner to the Tigers. Both West and Rogers finished with four saves on the afternoon.
With the win, St. Lawrence improves to 13-3-2 on the season, while RIT sits at 12-4-2 and will wait on the NCAA selection committee to determine whether they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 3 Saints will now travel to No. 1 seed William Smith and look to snap the Herons eight-year title and earn the automatic bid to the national tournament in the Liberty League Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m. in Geneva, N.Y. The Herons advanced to the championship via a 5-0 win over No. 4 Vassar on Wednesday.