Championship Central

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (Women’s Soccer) – The second-seeded DeSales Bulldogs claimed their first-ever MAC Freedom women’s soccer title with a 2-1 win over the fourth-seeded Wilkes Colonels.
 
DeSales (14-5) opened the scoring just 5:58 into the game on Saturday as junior Rachel Shive tied the single-season record for goals and points with her 18^th goal and 39^th point taking a pass from junior Eve Barna and scoring from just inside the box.
 
Wilkes (6-11-3) had some dangerous chances just after the goal most notably from Nicolette Towlen when a ball over the top found her all alone on the back post but her shot sailed high.
 
DSU was inches away from taking a three-goal lead later in the first half as back-to-back shots from junior Jess Wetherhold and sophomore Angelica Bertola connected with the crossbar and caromed straight down in front of the goal as the 1-0 score stood into the half.  The goal was Bertola's 13^th and the assist Wetherhold's eight tying the single-season assist mark.
 
The Bulldogs got a very important insurance goal early in the second-half as Wetherhold played a perfect long pass over the top of the Colonel defense that Bertola tracked down creating a 1-v-1 with the WU keeper and her shot squirted right the five-hole and into the net giving DSU a 2-0 advantage at 54:06.
 
Wilkes pulled to within one goal at 75:55 as Courtney Krasnomowitz lofted a high shot from the right sideline to the back post that snuck under the crossbar and into the net for her first tally of the season.
 
The Colonels had two more chances at tying the game but junior Emily Hoats came up big with two nice saves including one late with just over a minute left to preserve the win and the championship. Hoats finished with five saves in the win.
 
Bertola was named the MAC Freedom Championship Most Valuable Player as she scored two goals, including the game-winner on Saturday, in the tournament.
 
DeSales earns the MAC Freedom’s automatic qualifier (AQ) to the NCAA Division III Championship. The field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. at www.NCAA.com.