PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The No. 1-seeded St. John Fisher women's soccer team began its quest for a second straight Empire 8 Conference title with a 2-0 victory over No. 8-seeded Elmira in the first round of the E8 postseason tournament on Saturday night at Growney Stadium.
The Cardinals (15-2), who matched the 1982 team's program record for wins in a season, will host No. 4-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Knights (10-4-3) handed the Cardinals their only regular-season conference loss last Saturday at Growney Stadium.
How It Happened
After somewhat of a slow start in the way of quality scoring chances, the Cardinals broke through in the 41st minute. Sophomore defender Brooklyn Olschewske's corner kick went straight to freshman defender Makayla Land, who headed the ball past Elmira goalkeeper Sarah Cantrell for her first collegiate goal.
The Cardinals finished the first half with a 3-1 edge in shots and had only one other true scoring opportunity before Land's tally. In the ninth minute, sophomore midfielder Morgan Tara drilled the crossbar from about 25 yards out, and junior forward Olivia Kalil appeared to score on the rebound. However, an infraction against St. John Fisher nullified the goal.
St. John Fisher clung to a one-goal advantage until the 76th minute, when junior forward Emily Woolingham finished a feed from freshman forward Jillyan Ewing to give the Cardinals some breathing room down the stretch.
Cardinals sophomore goalkeeper Isabella Ayers made two saves in each half. The first of Elmira's three second-half shots, attempted by Anna Chunco in the 58th minute, clanked off the crossbar.
Game Notes
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Woolingham now has 17 goals and 40 points on the season.
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Woolingham moved into a tie with Mary Cooper (197) and Marianne Laurine (1981) for second on Fisher's single-season goals list.
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Woolingham is the first Cardinal to reach 40 points in a season since Laurine tallied 45 in 1981. Her 40 points mark the third-most by a Cardinal in a season.
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Ayers recorded her eighth shutout of the season.
Up Next
The Cardinals will face Geneseo at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Semifinals. The Knights beat SUNY Brockport 3-2 in their first-round contest on Saturday.
