SU Advances Past Drew on Penalty Kicks After Scoreless Tie; One Win Away from Landmark Championship, NCAAs
MADISON, N.J. -- Susquehanna University's senior Alyssa Kemmerer (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) made a game-high eight saves, not including a stop on a post-game penalty kick, to notch her ninth shutout this season and help visiting Susquehanna advance past Drew University in the Landmark Conference women's soccer semifinals at Ranger Stadium on Nov. 4.
Officially, SU (7-7-4 overall) and Drew (7-8-4 overall) played to a 0-0 tie after two overtime periods.
The Crusaders are now one win away from claiming their first Landmark championship. This year, the Landmark champion will be granted an automatic invitation to the NCAA Division III championships for the first time.
Following 110 minutes of scoreless action, including three overtime saves by Kemmerer, the teams squared off for an alternating, best-of-10-chances penalty-kicks situation.
Drew went first, and the initial three shooters for each team scored. Senior forward Abby Montgomery (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville), junior defender Samantha Farina (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) and freshman midfielder Gabrielle Magenta (Sewell, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial)--in that order--scored for SU.
The next Drew shooter missed the net, giving the Crusaders a chance to take their first lead of the shootout. Junior defender Colleen Kelly (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) took advantage, scoring to put the Crusaders ahead.
That set the stage for Kemmerer, who continued an amazing season by stopping the next Rangers player to end the shootout, 4-3.
Kemmerer's nine shutouts improve her own Susquehanna single-season record, set earlier this year. As a team, the Crusaders also have nine shutouts this year, another improvement on a school record.
The No. 1-seeded Catholic University of America (16-2-1 overall) defeated fourth-seeded The University of Scranton (13-4-2 overall), 3-2, in the other conference semifinal to set the stage for an SU-Catholic championship game.
This is the first appearance in the Landmark playoffs for Susquehanna.
Catholic, who has appeared in all three Landmark postseasons, lost to Moravian College in the conference championship game last year, 1-0, in double overtime.
Catholic defeated Susquehanna in the regular season, 3-0, this year on Sept. 26.
Next Game: Saturday, Nov. 7, at Catholic (Landmark Conference championship game), 11 a.m.