Oct. 24, 2009

Box Score

Sophomore F Nicola D’Errico scored the lone goal in the second minute of double overtime to lead No. 2 Saint Rose over No. 15 UMass Lowell, 1-0, Saturday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference women’s soccer clash in Albany, NY.

The loss ended UMass Lowell’s run of 12 straight shutouts – which ranks tied for third in NCAA Division II history – as well as senior G Jamie Gillis’ (Billerica, MA) magnificent NCAA Division II-record shutout streak at 1,333 minutes and 20 seconds, which spanned over 14 matches.

The goal was the sixth given up this year and first surrendered since the 13th minute of UMass Lowell’s 3-1 win at Stonehill Sept. 9.

The loss also guaranteed UMass Lowell the No. 3 seed in the NE-10 Tournament regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s home regular season finale against Merrimack (7:00).

Saint Rose improved to 17-0 overall (14-0 NE-10) and sealed its fourth straight NE-10 regular season crown.

The Golden Knights scored the winner in the 102nd minute when sophomore M Christina Cuffari (Brick, NJ) launched a corner kick from the right side which D’Errico headed inside the near post.

“It was a quality goal from a well-taken corner,” said UML head coach Elie Monteiro. “It was a very athletic, high quality match in which we came up just short.

“But I am very proud of how we played,” he added.

UMass Lowell had a 13-12 edge on shots (7-5 on target) as both teams had chances. The Golden Knights nearly went ahead in the first minute of the second half when senior M Deanna Wachtel struck the near post, which the UML defense immediately cleared.

Freshman M Jenna Costa (Attleboro, MA) nearly gave UMass Lowell a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute when her blast was tipped over the bar by sophomore G Susan Cowan.

Three minutes into the first overtime, freshman F Taylor Hartmann (Feeding Hills, MA) possessed a failed clearance mid-goal, just outside the six-yard box, but slotted wide.

Gillis stopped four shots for the River Hawks while Cowan had six saves for Saint Rose.