WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – In a highly contested
soccer game on Cole Field at
Williams College, #23 The College of New Jersey (20-2-1) scored
with 19:31 on
the clock to outlast #15 Ithaca College (18-3-1), 1-0.
Making their 19th
straight NCAA tournament appearance, the Lions advance to the
Final Four in
San Antonia, Texas.
TCNJ defeated Plattsburgh State and Amherst College in the first
and second
rounds of the NCAA tournament last weekend before knocking off
sectional host
and second-ranked Williams yesterday by a 1-0 margin. Ithaca
defeated
Muhlenberg in the first round, and followed in the second round
with a win in
penalty kicks. The Bombers defeated Rowan in overtime
yesterday before falling
at the hands of the Lions this afternoon.
Ithaca and TCNJ each played solid on the defensive end in the
opening half, with
the Bombers allowing just six shots and TCNJ allowing five looks
at net. The
Lions would up their offensive intensity in the second half, out
shooting Ithaca,
13-5.
The increasing number of shots in the second half eventually led
to the only
score of the game. Allyson Anderson, the goal-scorer in
yesterday’s clutch win
over Williams, placed a through ball up the middle to teammate
Briann
McDonough. McDonough dodged a charging keeper, and was able
to tap a slow
roller into net for the easy score.
The Lions will be making their fifth appearance in the national
semifinals in the
last seven years, and will face #1 Messiah College.
