Bucknell Women's Soccer Secures Playoff Spot with 2-1 Win over American - BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Bucknell Women's Soccer Secures Playoff Spot with 2-1 Win over American

Doherty, Marotta Score for Bison

Kelliann Doherty scored her fourth goal of the season, all in Patriot League play.

Nov. 1, 2008

Final Stats

LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's soccer team honored its record-setting senior class prior to Saturday's game with American, but it was a couple of sophomores who carried the Bison into the postseason with an impressive 2-1 victory over the Eagles at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium. Second-year players Kelliann Doherty (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) and Christa Matlack (South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport Area) scored the goals, and Bucknell dominated for all but about a 10-minute stretch in the second half to improve to 11-6-2 overall and 5-2-0 in the Patriot League.

Most important, Bucknell clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth with the victory, and depending on the results of the 5 p.m. Navy-Colgate game in Hamilton, N.Y., the Bison could still be the No. 1 seed and host next week's tournament. If Colgate wins that game, the Bison and Raiders would finish in a tie for first place, and based on their head-to-head win earlier in the year, the Bison would be the top seed. Navy secures the top spot and the right to host the tournament with a win or tie over Colgate. American (5-10-4, 2-2-3), which needed a win today to get in to the postseason, was eliminated with the loss at Bucknell.

Bucknell, which has won its last four league games, now has 15 standings points and can finish no worse than second place.

(8:35 p.m. EDIT: Navy defeated Colgate 1-0 to clinch the No. 1 seed. Bucknell will be the No. 2 seed and face No. 3 Army in Annapolis next Friday)

With elimination a possibility with a loss to the Eagles, the Bison stormed out of the gates and played one of their best halves of the year in the opening 45 minutes. Bucknell outshot American 11-0 in the first half, but despite seven wonderful scoring chances, they went to the locker room with only a 1-0 lead.

Only five minutes in, Matlack had a breakaway thwarted by goalkeeper Kelsey Wiggins, who came off her line to knock the ball free. Five minutes later Matlack just missed on a redirect at the far post after some terrific ballhandling and passing from Caitlin Holtz (Freehold, N.J./The Peddie School) and Chelsea McGorry (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill Regional). Nicole Marotta (Bridgewater, N.J./Mount St. Mary Academy) missed by only about a foot on a header off a Holtz corner kick in the 17th minute.

The Bison eventually cashed in on another corner - they took 13 in the game to only two for the Eagles - in the 26th minute. This time Marotta's shot was tipped up off the crossbar by Wiggins, and Doherty punched it in from right in the goal mouth to make it 1-0.

Matlack, Jennifer Dervarics (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) and Molly Linhart (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) all had excellent scoring chances in the final 15 minutes of the half, but two shots sailed just wide and Wiggins made a tough stop on Linhart with 7:40 left.

It was more of the same to start the second half, and just 1:45 into the stanza Matlack broke loose behind the Eagles defense. Wiggins came out to deflect the initial shot, but the ball leaked behind her and Matlack tapped her own rebound into the empty net for he eighth goal of the year and a 2-0 cushion. The eight goals ties Matlack's career high set last year as a freshman.

During about a 10-minute period midway through the second half American began to control play for the first time. The Eagles, who did not register a shot until the 47th minute, scored in the 68th minute when leading scorer Kelsey Brasher took a diagonal pass from Erin Stebbins and wedged a bouncing ball over the head of Bison keeper Kathryn Sutton (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area).

Brasher's sixth goal of the year made it 2-1, but the Bison quickly restored order and avoided any serious threats over the final 20 minutes.

Bucknell finished with a 20-5 edge in shots. Matlack had six of those, with four on goal. Marotta, who logged her first assist of the season, took four shots and Dervarics and Linhart had three each.

Wiggins finished with eight saves while Sutton needed to make just one for the Bison.

Bucknell has now qualified for the postseason in all four years under head coach Ben Landis. The team also recorded its fourth-straight 11-win season and moved within one victory of the school record. The 1994, 2001 and 2006 teams all won 12 games.

Dervarics, Marotta and Kelly Boswell (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West), Bucknell's three-player senior class, upped their school-record victory total to 44.

The Patriot League Tournament begins on Friday, Nov. 7 at either Bucknell or Navy. Game times are to be announced.