PHILADELPHIA, PA - Georgian Court University won a defensive battle, 1-0, to claim the 2008 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Soccer Tournament Championship over top-seeded Philadelphia University on Saturday evening. It is GCU's first CACC soccer championship since the 2002 season.
With the victory, Georgian Court claims the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament. The site and opponent will be announced on Monday.
Georgian Court, the No. 2 seed, was able to get the victory despite getting out-shot 29-3 in the contest. The lone goal came on an own goal by a Philadelphia defender just 29 seconds before halftime. A Georgian Court player crossed the ball from the right side of the field, and a Philadelphia defender tried to head the ball out of bounds, but the ball went into her own net.
Junior goalie Lindsay Hammond was the hero for the Lions, as she stopped a CACC Tournament record 16 shots. She was named the Tournament MVP after posting three shutouts in three tournament games.
Lady Ram sophomore Sara Redka led the team with seven shots and was named to the All-Tournament team along with seniors Brianna Reinford and Christy Baukman.
In addition to Hammond, Georgian Court's All-Tournament selections included freshmen Candace Seaton and Kelly Lyons and seniors Kristine Eppinger and Katherine Gooch.
Quarterfinal Round - Monday, Nov. 3
#1 Philadelphia 3, #8 Dominican 2
#2 Georgian Court 3, #7 Post 0
#3 Holy Family 8, #6 Felician 0
#4 Caldwell 1, #5 Nyack 0
Semifinal Round - at Plymouth Whitemarsh HS- Wednesday, Nov. 5
Philadelphia 2, Caldwell 1 (2 OT)
Georgian Court 1, Holy Family 0
Championship Game - at Plymouth Whitemarsh HS
Georgian Court 1, Philadelphia 0
All-Tournament Team
Lindsay Hammond, Georgian Court - MVP
Katherine Gooch, Georgian Court
Kristine Eppinger, Georgian Court
Candace Seaton, Georgian Court
Kelly Lyons, Georgian Court
Brianna Reinford, Philadelphia
Christy Baukman, Philadelphia
Sara Redka, Philadelphia
Jamie-Lynn Wallace, Holy Family
Michelle Giambrone, Holy Family
Nikki D'Orsaneo, Caldwell
Samantha Rinks, Caldwell
Rachel Shivers, Post
Adrienne Giordano, Felician
Margaret Porter, Dominican
Agnes Hitimana, Nyack