NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier women's soccer team punched its ticket to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game with a 5-2 victory over the No. 4-seeded Regis (Mass.) Pride in Tuesday evening's semifinal matchup.
With the win, the Raiders improve to 14-4-3 overall and will host the GNAC Championship game for the first time in program history at Joanne Merrill Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Olivia Rosario received the start between the sticks for the Raiders.
- The Raiders came out attacking early, with Bianca Casna putting a shot on target just 37 seconds into the contest.
- Rivier continued to apply pressure, as Ciarra Terry followed with a header on target in the fourth minute.
- The Raiders broke through in the seventh minute when Casna found the back of the net off an assist from Leah Morrier to give Rivier the early 1-0 advantage.
- Rivier doubled its lead in the 20th minute as Terry finished a pass from Addison York to make it 2-0.
- Regis threatened in the 21st minute, hitting the crossbar before Rosario came up with a save on a header shot by the Pride.
- The Raiders generated multiple other scoring attempts on shots from Morrier, Maya Leach, and Cara Churchill.
- Rosario and the Rivier defense held firm late in the half, blocking two Regis attempts in the final minute to preserve the 2-0 lead heading into the break.
- The Raiders wasted little time adding to their advantage, as Morrier found the back of the net in the 49th minute off an assist from Bailey Gatchell to extend the lead to 3-0.
- Regis responded with back-to-back goals, including one scored in the 57th minute before the Pride added another that sailed just past the reach of Rosario in the 61st minute to cut the deficit to 3-2.
- Olivia Rosario came up with a key save in the 64th minute to keep the Raiders in front.
- Rivier answered in the 69th minute when Hannah Smith found the back of the net after her initial attempt was kept out by a defensive save restoring the Raiders' two-goal cushion at 4-2.
- Just two minutes later, Morrier struck again, scoring her second goal of the evening to push the Rivier advantage to 5-2.
- The Raiders controlled the remainder of the contest, holding Regis without another goal to secure the 5-2 victory.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- The Raiders outshot Regis 16-10, including a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal.
- Morrier led the offensive effort with two goals and an assist, totaling five points while also recording a team-high six shots.
- Casna, Terry, and Smith each added a goal, with Casna and Terry each putting two shots on target.
- Gatchell and York each recorded an assist.
- Rosario played all 90 minutes in net, making two saves while only allowing two goals.
- The Rivier defense limited Regis to just four shots on goal.
- Rivier and Regis were even in corner kicks (4-4), while the Raiders committed just six fouls compared to nine by the Pride.
UP NEXT
Rivier women's soccer will look to continue to carry their momentum in the postseason as they continue their run in the GNAC Tournament, with the championship game set to take place at Joanne Merrill Field in Nashua, N.H. The Raiders will host the No. 6 seeded Cadets of Norwich on Saturday in the GNAC Championship. Kickoff time is to be announced at a later date.
