Sara Conover going against SUNYIT defense
0
SUNYIT SITW2012 (10-11)
4
Winner Penn State Berks PSBW2012 (14-2-1)
SUNYIT SITW2012
(10-11)
0
Final
4
Penn State Berks PSBW2012
(14-2-1)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
SUNYIT SITW2012 0 0 0
Penn State Berks PSBW2012 3 1 4

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Nittany Lions cruise to shutout win in NEAC Semifinals

READING, PA (November 3, 2012) - The Nittany Lions used three first half goals to pull away from SUNYIT in the 2012 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Women's Soccer Semifinal round on Saturday afternoon. Penn State Berks, who is the No. 1 seed and tournament host, won by a final of 4-0 to earn its first trip in program history to the conference championship. (Boxscore)

The Nittany Lions possessed the ball through the majority of the contest, which can be seen Berks' 14-2 advantage in shots on goal for the first half. Overall, they outshot the Wildcats 22-10 and held a 6-3 lead in corner kicks.

When SUNYIT was in Berks' territory, they were met by the strong defensive unit of Ashley Pardoski, Melissa Bennett, Emily Rumpf, and Katie Warner. Sophomore Savannah Cramer, who recently was named Goalkeeper of the Year, was on top of her game with four saves en route to the Nittany Lions 10th shutout of the season. Sarah Elmontacir made one save after closing out the final eight-plus minutes in net.

Berks was finally able to break through for a goal in the 28th minute as Chelsea Ray took the teams 10th shot of the half. Sara Conover delivered a perfect pass from the around the corner to Ray just inside the penalty box. Ray took one dribble and sent a line drive into back corner for a 1-0 lead.

At Conover was then on the receiving end of a beautiful pass by Ashley Pardoski that gave Berks a 2-0 advantage. Conover sent a groundball from the left corner of the six past the diving Wildcat keeper and deflected it off the inside of the right post for her 20th goal of the season.

Steph Tankalavage's hard work and refusal to quit led to the Nittany Lions third score in the half. The sophomore forward dribbled from midfield past two defenders before being met by the SUNYIT keeper at the edge of the penalty box. The keeper was able to knock the ball out of Tankalavage's possession, but she recovered quickly and chipped a shot into the wide open net.

The Nittany Lions picked right back up on offense once the second half began. Ellie McKinstry sent a long pass over the defense that Conover tracked down and was able to beat the keeper in a one-on-one breakaway.

Caitlin Deibler, Karly Shaffert, and Meaghan Daly continued their strong play in the midfield that helped the teams success on both offense and defense.

The Nittany Lions will face No. 2 Lancaster Bible College in the NEAC Championship tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Chargers defeated Penn State Harrisburg by a score of 3-0 in the other semifinal contest. The winner will earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
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