Box Score GALLOWAY (NJ) –
Taylor Prichett scored two goals, including the game-winning tally just 3:32 into overtime, as sixth-seeded Delaware Valley College notched a 4-3 triumph at No. 3 Richard Stockton College in the quarterfinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Mid-Atlantic Region Championships.
With the victory, the Aggies advance to Saturday's semifinals where they will meet second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology (13-7) at Kean University at 11:00 a.m. Kean, seeded fourth, will host No. 8 Alvernia University in the other semifinal match-up. The two winners will meet in the championship game at Kean on Sunday (11:00 a.m.)
The win resulted in two milestones for Delaware Valley as its greatest season in program history continues. It was the Aggies' first-ever postseason win as well as the 13th of the year (13-7), breaking the previous school record of 12 set by the 2001 and 2007 seasons.
Overtime did not seem as if it was going to be needed after
Jessica Summers one-timed a
Stefania Swider pass into the cage for her second goal of the game and a 3-1 Delaware Valley lead with 5:13 remaining. This came after Stockton (12-8) had numerous opportunities and after the Aggies survived being one player down for a five-minute penalty.
However, the Ospreys scored twice in a 37-second span to tie it up. First, they were awarded a penalty stroke with 3:46 left and Susie Balidemaj scored her second goal of the game. Then Cassie Kirk scored in front for a 3-3 contest.
Stockton kept the pressure on and had two corners with under a minute to go, but a potential game-winning shot went wide. The Ospreys had two more corners in the opening two minutes of overtime but Aggie goalkeeper
Sandra Edwards stopped one shot while another went wide.
Delaware Valley moved the ball down the field in the seven-on-seven overtime and
Elana Keller got off a shot that was deflected by Prichett but stopped by the goalie. Prichett picked up her own rebound and slid the ball across the line for her 21st goal of the year, her sixth-game winning tally and the quarterfinal win.
The first seven minutes of the game belonged to Stockton as it had five corners during that time. Edwards came up with two big saves for the Aggies and added another five minutes later.
The Ospreys continued the pressure and had a 7-1 advantage in shots through the first 20-plus minutes. Delaware Valley then had a good opportunity as
Leah Hawthorn sent a pass toward the net. Summers deflected it, but it went off the side of the cage.
The play shifted to the Stockton end for the final eight-plus minutes of the half and Delaware Valley was awarded a corner as the clocked ticked down to two minutes. Prichett sent the corner pass in and it eventually went to
Lydia Spakosky. Spakosky sent a shot that was stopped by the Osprey goalie, but a scramble ensued. Summers tipped the ball to Prichett, who put the ball in with 1:44 left for a 1-0 lead. The assist was the 12th of the year for Summers as the junior broke the school's previous mark of 11 set by Bethany Pavlik in 2008.
Stockton scored just three minutes into the second half as Balidemaj deflected in a shot from Kirk. The Ospreys then nearly took the lead on three separate occasions, but a post, a defensive save by Spakosky and one that just went wide kept it tied.
Delaware Valley then went ahead 2-1 with 21:02 remaining as, off a corner, Keller fed Summers, who connected for her 11 goal of the year. Summers later made it 3-1 before a late Osprey rally forced overtime and set up yet more overtime dramatic for the Prichett and the Aggies.
Stockton held a 28-13 advantage in shots and picked up 27 corner opportunities compared to just five by Delaware Valley. Edwards was outstanding all evening as the senior netminder finished with 14 saves, many coming on standout stops.