Women's Soccer Advances to NECC Semifinals Over Regis

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The second-seeded Elms College women's soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) tournament with a 2-0 victory over seventh-seeded Regis College (Mass.) in a quarterfinal match at Leary Field Tuesday evening. With the win, Elms sets a program record with their 15^th win this season (15-3-1), while Regis finishes with a 5-12-2 overall mark.

After more than 30 minutes of scoreless play, the Blazers broke through with 12:27 remaining in the first half as sophomore Brie Voight (Springfield, Mass.) was taken down by a Regis defender in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Blazers. On the ensuing attempt, senior Michelle Rossignol (Manchester, Conn.) laced a shot just beyond the diving reach of Regis senior goalkeeper Rachel Gagnon (Ashford, Conn.), staking Elms to a 1-0 lead.

With just over a minute to play in the first half, the Blazers netted a back-breaker as junior Sevonnah LaRochelle (Chicopee, Mass.) launched a cross to the front of the net, finding Voight who tucked a shot past Gannon, sending the Blazers into the intermission with a 2-0 lead.

In the second half, the Blazers played the possession game, dominating the ball for a majority of the half. The Elms defense limited the Pride to just one shot in the second half as the Blazers captured the 2-0 win over Regis.

"It was a great win for us today, Regis is no seven seed," said Elms College Head Coach Sean Milbier. "[Regis] played really well, we had a great team effort and I think we did all the little things we need to do to get the win. Our energy was key in the first half, we came out flying, possessing the ball from sideline to sideline and through the midfield, and creating chances. We need to clean up a couple things in the back heading into our next match, but as long as we keep this energy and play our game, we'll be fine. Southern Vermont is a well-organized, well-coached squad, so we'll need to be on top of our game Thursday."

The Blazers outshot the Pride, 11-3, during the contest. Elms senior Alexa Rinaudo (Bellmore, N.Y.) made three saves on the day, while Gannon stopped seven shots for Regis.

The Blazers advance to the NECC Semifinals to face third-seeded Southern Vermont College Thursday night at Leary Field. Kickoff is to be determined. The Pride wrapped up action for the 2015 season.

ELMS SOCCER