|
|
NCAA Div. III women Gabage header with three remaining sends College of New Jersey past Tufts 2-1 for third national crown.MEDFORD, Mass. (Thursday, November 23, 2000) -- Sophomore Cara Gabage’s header of a rebound with three seconds remaining provided The College of New Jersey a dramatic 2-1 triumph over host Tufts for the NCAA Division III championship Sunday afternoon. With the public address announcer counting down the final 10 seconds, New Jersey junior Denise Buckley collected the ball on the left flank, carried past a defender and sent a cross to junior Lisa Pelligrino in front of the goal. Tufts senior goalkeeper Randee McArdle did well to stop Peligrino’s shot, but Gabage was there to head home the rebound for her third game-winning goal of the NCAA tournament. Gabage had earlier netted third-overtime winners against Messiah and Ohio Wesleyan. New Jersey featured a core of six seniors that have been to three straight Final Fours. "What a way for the seniors to go out," Lions defender Linda Talarico said. "Twenty years of soccer all came down to this weekend for a lot of us, so it's hard to describe how great it feels." New Jersey (23-1) won its third national title after taking consecutive crowns in 1993 and 1994 under current coach Joe Russo. Tufts finished its best season ever with an 18-4-1 mark. "You couldn't ask for a better final," Russo said. "Of all the finals I've been to, this was the most well-played. Our team is so resilient. They've been to three straight final fours, so there's a fabric woven among them and I think that made the difference." Tufts controlled play for most of the second half and tied the score at 1-1 at 76:22 when Adie Sherwood found open space in the box and redirected a pass from Jess Trombly past keeper Victoria Nusse . New Jersey had not conceded a goal since October 1, a streak of 11 straight shutouts. New Jersey took an early 1-0 lead when sophomore Gia Rosamilia dropped a beautiful long ball at Buckley's feet. As McArdle came out to challenge, Buckley lofted a shot over the keeper that bounced into the net for a 1-0 lead at 8:59. New Jersey held a 21-10 advantage in shots, 11-3 in the first half, though the Jumbos carried the momentum, for much of the second half.. "We thought that if we could score, it might rattle them because they're not used to being scored on," Tufts coach Martha Whiting said. "But they are a great team and they persevered. We let them in at the wrong time and great teams take advantage of those opportunities. Buckley was selected as the Final Four "Most Valuable Offensive Player" after scoring the first goal and initiating the winning sequence today, and setting up the game-winner in a 1-0 overtime victory over Trinity of Texas in yesterday semifinals. Trinity goalkeeper Jill DiGiampaolo was the "Defensive Most Valuable Player" after making 24 saves -- the second most in Division III tournament history -- in yesterday’s semifinal setback.
Championship
Sunday, November 19
Saturday, November 18
Sunday, November 12
Saturday, November 11
Sunday, November 5
Saturday, November 4
|
