Two goals by Nicosia lifts Generals to Region III ‘A’ Championship Game
(Danielle Nicosia had two goals for the Generals on Tuesday, both in the second half against Finger Lakes).
(Freshman Sydney Stanley had six saves at home against the Lakers Tuesday).
HERKIMER, NY – Aided by their seventh shutout of the season, the Herkimer Generals women’s soccer team got goals from Danielle Nicosia (Oneonta, NY) and Teigha Ward (Ilion, NY) to defeat Finger Lakes Community College at home Tuesday (10/28) 3-0, winning the NJCAA Region III DIII Semifinal.
Herkimer (12-2, 6-0) rebounded nicely from their last regular season game against Genesee, setting the tone on defense early seeing freshman Sydney Stanley (Schoharie, NY) stop a 1-v-1 shot on goal in the 13th minute and then a free kick in the 19th to keep the Lakers off the board.
With the score locked, a give-and-go between Ward and Emily Rexford (Canton, NY) netted the first goal of the game in the 26th to make it 1-0. It was Ward’s 23rd goal and Rexford’s fourth assist of the season.
After intermission, another Stanley save in the 49th on the left side of the net led to Nicosia’s first goal of the game in the 45th, on an assist from Ward. The freshman Ward crossed the ball outside of the 18 on the right side, catching the body of Nicosia on the left side of the net, setting the ball quickly then netting it past Daniele Ogrodowski for the 2-0 lead.
The three goal advantage occurred 15 minutes later when Ward again found Nicosia, this time when one of her shots caromed off a Lakers defender right to Nicosia for the goal, giving Nicosia her 11th goal and Ward her fifth assist of the season.
As mentioned previously, Stanley started for the Generals in goal. She earned her sixth shutout of the season saving six shots in 85 minutes. Cassandra Grippe (Frankfort, NY) played the final five minutes and did not record a save.
No. 1 Herkimer will face No. 4 Hudson Valley this Saturday (11/1) to decide the Region III DIII ‘A’ Champion. Both teams will play at Tompkins-Cortland Community College with a start time of 12:30 p.m. The Generals have already beaten the Vikings 2-1 during the regular season and will look to do it again, this time on a neutral field.
Score:
HERK (12-2, 6-0) 3
FLCC (9-7-1, 3-3) 0
Halftime:
HERK 1
FLCC 0
Scoring:
Herkimer
Danielle Nicosia 2 goals
Teigha Ward 1 goal 2 assists
Emily Rexford 1 assist
Goalies:
Herkimer
Sydney Stanley 5 saves (85 minutes)
Cassandra Grippe 0 saves (5 minutes)
Finger Lakes
Daniele Ogrodowski 7 saves
Next Game: 11/1 vs. Huson Valley 12:30 p.m.
-Giorgio Varlaro