Box Score NEWARK, Del. – No. 8 seed Felician College yielded a tie-breaking goal with five minutes, 40 seconds, to play in regulation and went down to a 2-1 defeat to No. 1 seed and host Wilmington (Del.) University in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women's Soccer Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
Felician's season ends with a final overall won-lost-tied record of 7-9-1. The Golden Falcons reached the conference playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, but were unable to make the program's first semifinal appearance since 2003.
With the game tied, 1-1, as time wound down, Wilmington (11-6-2) had numbers in the box when a ball was crossed in from the right side. The ball deflected off of the only Felician defender in the area and ended up at the foot of WU senior forward Jenna Quaranta (Baltimore, Md.). Quaranta had a clear shot from six yards out and finished for the eventual game-winner.
Felician had two opportunities to re-equalize in the closing minutes. Its best chance came following a Wildcat foul, when leading scorer Alysia Arcona (Hackettstown, N.J.) launched a free kick with 3:11 remaining. The arcing shot would not come down until it had cleared the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, Wilmington senior goalkeeper Amanda Walters (Baltimore, Md.) made her 10th save of the day on an Erica Evans (Rockaway, N.J.) offering.
The hosts took an early lead when Morgan Fraczkowski (Forest Hill, Md.) scored on a header just 5:07 into the match. The Golden Falcons then put consistent pressure on the Wildcat defense, but, highlighted by a diving Walters save of a Marissa Nieves (Brick, N.J.) blast, Wilmington withstood the challenge until the very end of the half.
With 1:22 to play until halftime, Golden Falcon sophomore Jordan Farley (Brick, N.J.) pounced on a defensive miscue by the hosts and blasted a 25+ yard shot into the upper-left corner of the goal. It was Felician's first goal against the Wildcats this season.
As the second half progressed, Wilmington slowly gained the better of the play. The Wildcats had two potential goals called back by offside violations before finally breaking through in the 85th minute.
Felician finished with a 14-12 edge in shots. Golden Falcon senior goalkeeper Allie Couzo (Sayreville, N.J.) made six saves in her final collegiate game. Couzo will graduate with career totals of 336 saves, 26 victories, and seven solo shutouts, all ranking her among the top three in Felician history.
Wilmington advances to play No. 4 seed Georgian Court University in the semifinals, tentatively scheduled for Thursday in Waterbury, Conn. GCU advanced on penalty kicks over No. 5 seed Nyack College on Sunday after the teams drew, 3-3.
