New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College women's soccer team blanked visiting Emmanuel, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Quarterfinals at Celentano Field.
The Falcons (10-7-1) avenge a 2-0 setback in the Elm City to the Saints (9-10-1) earlier this fall and advance to the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since 2014 and the third time overall.
Albertus Magnus senior midfielder Danielle Polvan (East Haven, Conn.) netted the game-winning strike late in the opening half. Polvan won a 50-50 ball in her team's defense end and used a great individual effort to beat the Emmanuel defender marking her. Polvan came in on a breakaway and fired a shot from just outside the box past the outstretched arms of Saint goalkeeper Victoria LaRoche.
The marker was Polvan's 10th of the season and came in the 41st minute.
Prior to Polvan's blast, both teams had scoring chances. Early on, AMC peppered LaRoche with shots. Falcon junior Amanda Montano (North Haven, Conn.) had several chances, but both of her shots sailed over the crossbar. Albertus Magnus also saw a shot from Alexya Alves (Naugatuck, Conn.) headed away in front of an open net by a Saint defender and a header from senior Taylor Rotella (Milford, Conn.) clank off the crossbar.
On the opposite side of the field, Emmanuel had their best look early in the contest as well. Off a corner kick, freshman forward Kaylin Deschenes headed the ball just wide of the goal. Later in the first frame, Saint freshman forward Olivia Collins took a shot from the penalty area that was gloved out of the air by Albertus Magnus sophomore goalkeeper Lexie Fenn (Oakville, Conn.).
Fenn had a stellar game between the pipes for the hosts, turning aside all four of the shots she faced to post her fourth shutout of the autumn. LaRoche did her part to keep the guests in the game, making six saves in a losing effort.
During the second half, Fenn and the Albertus Magnus backline kept the visitors off the scoreboard and the offense maintained possession to control the tempo of the contest.
Albertus Magnus advances to the GNAC Semifinals with the victory and will square off with the winner of the No. 2 Johnson & Wales and No. 7 Suffolk tilt scheduled for later this evening. If the Wildcats win at home, the Falcons will travel to Rhode Island. If the Rams, knock off JWU, Albertus Magnus will host Suffolk. The semifinal draw will take place on Wednesday, November 2.
For the latest information on the women's soccer team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
