Mitchell, Lesley Set to Clash in Women's Soccer Title Game
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Second-seeded Mitchell College will battle top-seeded Lesley University for the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's soccer title on Saturday, November 6 at Edward Field in Cambridge, Mass.
The Mariners (9-7-1 overall) punched their ticket to the finals with a 2-0 victory over Elms College on Thursday in semifinals action. Lesley (11-5-3 overall) made it to the title game by outlasting Daniel Webster College in penalty kicks on Thursday after the teams fought to a 1-1 draw.
The contest will be a rematch of last year's title game, which saw the Lynx post a 3-1 victory to earn their first NECC title. This season, however, the stakes are greater, as the NECC's automatic bid for the NCAA Championship will be up for grabs for the first time in conference history.
The teams will meet for the second time this season, as Lesley handed Mitchell its only conference loss by a 2-1 final back on October 19. The Mariners took an early lead on a goal by junior Nikki Hoxie and led 1-0 at the half. Lesley tied the game in the 82nd minute on a tally by Veronica Halen and netted the game-winning goal in overtime off the foot of Sarah Apgar.
The duo of Hoxie and freshman Caley McClendon lead the Mitchell offense. Each has netted 11 goals and recorded two assists for 24 points on the season. Junior Leslie Briggs has also scored in double digits with four goals and a team-high seven assists for 15 points.
Mitchell's defense, which has posted shutouts in its last four games, allowed the fewest goals during the regular season of any NECC team. Freshman goalkeeper Kaylee Woodford sports a 1.49 goals-against average in 17 games and has posted six shutouts.
The Lesley attack is fueled by Halen and sophomore Kate Ryder with 19 points apiece. Ryder has netted a team-high eight goals and added three assists while Halen has six goals and seven assists. The Lynx had the highest-scoring offense in the NECC during the regular season at 2.89 goals per game.
Saturday's championship game will be played at Edward Field—Lesley's home site—at Buckingham, Browne & Nichols. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. Click here for directions.
