WSoccer Drops Regular Season Finale to Bay Path in OT

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Bay Path College downed Mitchell College 2-1 in overtime on Saturday afternoon in a New England Collegiate Conference women's soccer match-up at Alumni Field.

Keelin Dougherty netted the game-winning goal just 2:22 into the extra period to give Bay Path (9-6-1 overall, 6-2-1 NECC) its third straight win. She also scored in regulation to even the match at 1-1, running her league leading goal total to 19 on the season.

Both teams had shots hit off the crossbar in the first 30 minutes of the contest, but Mitchell finally broke through in the 39th minute when junior Breanna Poirier cleaned up a loose ball in the box for her third goal of the year. A cross from the right side was handled by Bay Path goalkeeper Alma Rizvani, but amid the melee in the box the ball popped free and was jumped on by Poirier for the opening score.

Mitchell held the 1-0 lead until the 66th minute when a foul just outside the 18-yard box yielded a free kick for the Wildcats. Dougherty stepped up and drilled a shot over a wall of defenders and into the upper right corner to tie the game.

Neither side produced a quality chance in the final 20 minutes of regulation, but the Mariners were quick to take the first shot of overtime. Freshman Sophie Spiller took a crack at the goal but was denied by Rizvani, and play moved onto the other end of the field.

Dougherty's first shot in OT was high, but less than a minute later she got another chance when Emily Serrano slipped her a pass up the middle. Dougherty beat Mitchell keeper Kaylee Woodford to the ball and quickly deposited the winner into the back of the net.

Rizvani finished with three saves against nine shots while Woodford recorded four stops against 13 shots.

The match served as the regular season finale for both teams. The top seven teams in the conference standings will compete in the 2013 NECC Women's Soccer Championship, which begins with first round play on Tuesday, October 29 at the site of the highest seeds. A complete schedule and seeding will be announced by the conference later today.

Prior to the game, the Mariners honored their two seniors in a special senior day ceremony. Both Woodford and Katelynne Mackie were four-year letterwinners on the Mitchell women's soccer team and were members of the 2010 championship team that made the College's first-ever NCAA appearance.