Women's Soccer Semifinals: Albany Pharmacy 9, St. Joseph's 0

Women's Soccer Semifinals: Albany Pharmacy 9, St. Joseph's 0

Recap courtesy of ACPHS Athletics

Albany, N.Y. – Senior midfielder Frances Ripepi (Amsterdam, N.Y.) scored four goals and assisted on a fifth to lead the top-seeded Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences women's soccer team to a 9-0 win over visiting fourth-seeded St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) Sunday in the semifinals of the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament at the ACPHS Soccer Field.
 
The Panthers improved to 11-2-1 on the season and will play for the HVIAC title at home Sunday, November 10. ACPHS will host either second-seeded The King's College or third-seeded Sarah Lawrence at 11:00 am.
 
The outcome was never in doubt as ACPHS scored five times in the first 31 minutes, twice more before halftime and twice in the first eight minutes of the second half to bury the Bears. Ripepi scored in the 10th, 12th, 31st and 53rd minutes while also assisting on a Jen Bechard (Champlain, N.Y.) goal in the 17th minute. Bechard finished with two goals and an assist of her own, including the technical game-winner just 2:42 after the opening kick.
 
Freshman striker Kayli Smith (Rome, N.Y.) tallied two goals and an assist of her own with junior striker Sarah Cope (Broadalbin, N.Y.) putting up a goal and an assist as well.
 
Neither freshman Amy Jagareski (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) nor freshman Miranda Costin (Norwich, N.Y.) had to make a single save to record the combined shutout. SJC's Nicole Farinella recorded an outstanding individual effort in goal, saving 23 Panther shots.
 
ACPHS will be in action next at the USCAA National Championships. The Panthers will be the #6 seed in the 10-team field and face third-seeded Florida College in the quarterfinals at 7:30 pm Thursday, October 31 in Charleston, W. Va.
 
NOTES: The Panthers return to the HVIAC (formerly the HVWAC) finals after a one-year absence due to a scheduling conflict with the USCAA tournament…ACPHS will face either Daemen, Paul Smith's or tourney host WVU Tech on the second day of the USCAA tourney Friday, November 1…should the Panthers make the national finals, their opponent will be Maine-Fort Kent, SUNY ESF, Alfred State, Penn College or Maine-Machias.

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Recap courtesy of St. Joseph's College Athletics

ALBANY, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's soccer team concluded Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) play with a 9-0 setback to USCAA National Tournament qualifier Albany Pharmacy in the HVIAC Tournament semifinals on Sunday afternoon.

St. Joseph's (3-11), the reigning conference tournament champions, are eliminated with the loss while Albany Pharmacy (11-2-1) gets back to their winning ways after suffering a defeat their last time out following a seven-game winning streak. The Panthers will take on The King's College in the HVIAC Tournament finals on Sunday, November 10th at 11 a.m. after the Lions defeated Sarah Lawrence 5-1 in the other semifinal today.

Albany Pharmacy overwhelmed the Lady Bears right from the opening kickoff as they forced St. Joseph's senior goalkeeper Nicole Farinella (East Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport HS) to make the first of her 23 saves 22 seconds into the contest.  Jen Bechard got the Panthers on the scoreboard in only the third minute of action when she took a shot by Brittany Bogan that was originally saved by Farinella and fired into the back of the net to build a 1-0 lead.

Frances Ripepi added the first of her team-high four goals on the day in the 11th minute of action to give Albany Pharmacy a 2-0 lead. Ripepi would tack two more goals and assist on another all within the first 31 minutes of the game.

Ripepi scored her third goal of the game in the 31st minute to give the Panthers a 5-0 lead. Albany Pharmacy netted two more goals off the feet of Kayli Smith and Sarah Cope to head into the intermission up 7-0.

The first half saw the Panthers hold a lopsided 30-1 shot advantage with Farinella making 13 saves in the opening frame.  

Smith notched her second goal of the day less than two minutes into the second stanza to put Albany Pharmacy up 6-0 before Ripepi concluded the scoring for the Panthers with her final tally of the day in the 54th minute.

Albany Pharmacy concluded the action with a decisive 48-3 shot differential as the Lady Bears had no answers for the Panthers offensive attack.

Senior Christina Abbate (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) led the St. Joseph's offense with two shots while sophomore Shannon Fahy (Breezy Point, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) picked up the Lady Bears other shot.

Ripepi finished with a game-high nine shots on goal and had an assist while Smith fired six shots on goal and also had an assist.  Bechard notched two goals and recorded an assist.  Amy Jagareski and Miranda Costin combined for the shutout without having to make a save in net.

St. Joseph's returns to the field on Wednesday, October 30th for Senior Night against John Jay with kickoff slated to start at 7 p.m.