Bridgeport Moves On In 2022 NCAA Women's Soccer East Regional Winning A PK Shootout Versus St. Anselm

Rindge, N.H.-The University of Bridgeport women's soccer team the number three seed, advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 NCAA Division II East Regional on a rainy Friday afternoon in New Hampshire via a 3-2 decision in a penalty kick shootout over the sixth-seeded Hawks of Saint Anselm College after the team teams battled to a 1-1 deadlock after 110 minutes of play.  The match will officially be recorded as a tie, so the Purple Knights move onto Sunday's East Regional Semifinal match at 2:00 p.m. against the second-seeded Franklin Pierce University Ravens, who defeated the seventh-seed Penmen of Southern New Hampshire, 3-1, on Friday on the Raven's home field, with a 13-3-6 record; while St. Anselm sees its season come to a close with a 10-7-2 mark.

Friday's result gives Bridgeport a new team record a 18-match unbeaten streak (12 wins and six ties) that surpasses the previous school record unbeaten streak of 17 set in 2015, when UB posted an all-time high 21 wins and advanced to the NCAA Division II Semifinals for the first time in program history.

Bridgeport got on the scoreboard first in Friday's contest with just over five minutes to play in the first half when sophomore Kate Thill (Goetzingen, Luxembourg) fired home her team-leading sixteenth goal of 2022 from about 30 yards out capitalizing on a Hawks' giveaway.

The match would stay 1-0 in favor the of the Purple Knights until just over 17 minutes to play in regulation when St. Anselm's Allison Silverstein tied things up at 1-1 off a lovely feed from Olivia Gotobed.  Silverstone's goal came just under a minute after the Hawks had a goal disallowed due to an offsides call.

Friday's match was an even one statistically with Bridgeport finishing with a slim 11-10 advantage in shots, and the Hawks taking six corners to UB's four on the afternoon.

In the overtime sessions, Bridgeport had perhaps the best scoring change eight minutes into the first extra period, but Kate Thill's shot was stopped by St. Anselm goalkeeper Emma Hudson, who finished with four saves.

UB goalkeeper Clara Karlsson (So., Örnsköldsvik, Sweden) also had four saves in the match, including a spectacular diving stop just 1:10 into action to keep the Hawks from grabbing an early lead.  Karlsson remains unbeaten so far this season heading into Sunday's action with a 13-0-6 record.

And as she has done all season long, stopping four of five PKs during the regular year and winning a shootout making two saves in last Friday's conference semifinal versus Holy Family, Clara Karlsson starred with the opposition taking penalties.

With the Hawks shooting first, St. Anselm's Riley DiGilio and Bridgeport's Vivien Ruettgers (Jr., Munich, Germany) both scored, but then Karlsson came up big stopping the next two St. Anselm shooters.  After a UB miss in the second round, freshman Solune Moll (Bern, Switzerland) and sophomore Angelina LoFranco (Greenacres, Fla.) scored sandwiched around a Hawks' make to give the Purple Knights a 3-2 lead heading into the fifth and potential final round of kicks, and that proved to be the case, when match ended as St. Anselm's fifth PK sailed wide of the mark and Bridgeport moved on 3-2 on penalties.

PHOTO BY CLARUS MULTIMEDIA