Oct. 31, 2010
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - La Salle Women's Soccer headed into its final regular season meeting Sunday at McCarthy Stadium with the Massachusetts Minutewomen knowing a win and some help would get the Explorers into the upcoming Atlantic 10 Championship. So, the Explorers first took care of their own contest, a 3-0 victory, then waited for the final results of the other games and the announcement from the A-10.
At the postgame banquet in the Hayman's Center Mezzanine, the players and their families enjoyed the spread and anxiously awaited the news. Head Coach Paul Royal took the call, then informed those gathered La Salle had advanced into the tournament setting off thunderous cheers.
La Salle (10-8-2, 4-4-1 A-10), who won three of its last four, will now extend its season at least one more game, heading to Kingston, RI this week for the A-10 Championship, which will start on Thursday, Nov. 4 on the campus of Rhode Island University.
The eventful day for the Explorers started 15 minutes before kick-off as the program honored four of its members - Morgan Golden, Melissa Sanger, Kelly O'Steen, and Heather Steadman - as part of Senior Day.
Thirty-four minutes after kick-off, Renee Washington gave the Explorers their first reason to celebrate as she scored off assists from Ashley Chilcoat and Courtney Niemiec to put her team up 1-0.
For Washington, it was her team-leading 10th goal of the season, tying her for the eighth-most in a single season at the school. She also has 68 shots this year, which trails only Kristin Hextall's 86 in the 2007 season. It was Chilcoat's third assist of 2010, with all coming in the last four games, while it was Niemiec's team-high sixth assist of the year.
Amanda Komarnicki put the Explorers up 2-0 at the 61:53 mark with her first of the year off assists from Leigh Gray and Steadman. It was Gray's team-high tying sixth helper, while Steadman notched the 17th of her career, tying her for sixth all-time with Hextall (2004-07).
With under six minutes left in the game, Golden iced the game with her third tally of the year, off a cross from Kelly O'Steen, her second of the season.
Gabby Pakhtigian earned the victory in goal for the Explorers with her 14th career win and seventh career shutout. She stopped a pair of shots, included a diving save in the 81st minute off a free kick by Lauren Skesavage, which could have pulled UMass to within one.
She becomes the first La Salle goalie since 2004 (Kerry Schamberger) to win 10 games in a season and only Kaitlin Glass in 2000 won more (11) in a single season. Those are also the last two Explorers to have more than 95 saves in a single season, which Pakhtigian now does as she leads the conference. Schamberger had 97 in 2004, and Glass had 101 in 2001.
Massachusetts (8-10-0, 5-4-0 A-10) also advanced to this week's A-10 Championship, but could be without goalie Emily Cota, who made four saves in the game. She left the game in 62nd minute due to injury.
La Salle has now won eight of nine games over the Minutewomen, which includes a five-game winning streak. The win gave the Explorers 40 wins over the last four seasons, the best mark in such a stretch, and they have already secured the best winning percentage over a four-year period.
