CALDWELL, N.J. - Freshman forward Giana Scerbo (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) scored the game's only goal in the 81st minute to give the Caldwell College women's soccer team a 1-0 triumph over Nyack College in the quarterfinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Monday afternoon at Caldwell Field. The win sends the fourth-seeded Cougars (8-10-1) into Wednesday's semifinals against top-seeded Philadelphia University, while the fifth-seeded Warriors end their season with a record of 10-8.
The game was played at a high level of intensity, with both teams generating multiple scoring chances. In the 58th minute, Nyack goalkeeper Whitney Shutt made an outstanding save on a shot by junior forward Nicole Laureigh (Lanoka Harbor, NJ/Lacey Twp.). The rebound ended up on the foot of senior forward Kristee Paknis (Whiting, NJ/Manchester) with Shutt out of position, but Paknis' shot was blocked by a defender. Then in the 71st minute, Paknis broke in alone on Shutt, but the goalkeeper met Paknis and made the save to deny the Cougars again. At the other end, Alisha Smith's header off a corner kick went just inches wide of the far post in the 75th minute.
With less than 10 minutes to play, senior midfielder Samantha Rinks (Corinth, TX/Billy Ryan) dribbled down the left side and sent the ball into the penalty area. Scerbo, pictured, ran onto the ball and hit a shot with her first touch past Shutt and into the goal. It was the first career goal for Scerbo, who came into the game as a substitute. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Hoenig (Howell, NJ/Howell) recorded two saves for Caldwell for her fourth shutout of the season, while Shutt finished with three saves.
The victory is the second CACC Tournament win for Caldwell in the 11-year history of the program. The 2004 squad defeated Felician College to advance to the semifinals, where they were eliminated by Wilmington University in a penalty kick shootout. The 2002 and 2005 teams received byes to the semifinals. Caldwell has reached the semifinal round five times but has never played in a CACC Tournament final.
The Cougars' season continues on Wednesday, Nov. 5 with a semifinal game against top-seeded Philadelphia, which defeated Caldwell 2-0 during the regular season. The game is set to start at 12:00 p.m. at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, which is located near the campus of Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pa.
CC - 0 1 - 1
NC - 0 0 - 0
Scoring Summary: 1. CC – Giana Scerbo 1 (Samantha Rinks), 80:11.
Shots: CC - 7; NC - 8
Saves: CC – Lauren Hoenig 2; NC – Whitney Shutt 3, Team 1
Corners: CC - 0; NC - 7
Fouls: CC - 9; NC - 17
Offsides: CC - 3; NC - 1
Cautions: CC - none; NC - Bench (57:56), Guercy (68:02), Drenth (79:02)
CACC Women's Soccer Tournament
First Round - Monday, Nov. 3
Game 1: No. 1 Philadelphia 3, No. 8 Dominican 2
Game 2: No. 4 Caldwell 1, No. 5 Nyack 0
Game 3: No. 2 Georgian Court 3, No. 7 Post 0
Game 4: No. 3 Holy Family 8, No. 6 Felician 0
Semifinals - Wednesday, Nov. 5 (at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School)
Game 5: No. 1 Philadelphia vs. No. 4 Caldwell, 12:00 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Georgian Court vs. No. 3 Holy Family, 2:30 p.m.
Finals - Saturday, Nov. 8 (at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School)
Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 5:30 p.m.
