Box Score LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Freshman midfielder Amanda Nowak (Lyndhurst, N.J.) scored once in each half to lead Felician College to a 4-2 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference women's soccer victory over host Georgian Court University on an unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon at Investors Savings Bank Field. Felician (4-2-2, 3-1-1 CACC) scored its season high of four goals for the second consecutive game and third time this season.
Georgian Court (4-3, 3-2) is ranked No. 9 in the most recent NCAA Division II East Region coaches' poll, and was chosen fourth in the CACC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Felician defeated the Lions in Lakewood for just the second time in program history and the first since 2003.
GCU was the first team to dent the scoreboard. Just 12:27 into the match, Lion sophomore Morgan Peacock (Edison, N.J.) beat Felician goalkeeper Julia Sheridan (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) to a 50/50 ball following a failed passback attempt. The pair collided, and the ball found GCU freshman Elizabeth Kroon (Bayville, N.J.), who was able to dribble around the fallen Sheridan and tap the ball in the net.
Felician took the lead before halftime, however, with a pair of unassisted tallies. In the 34th minute, Nowak settled a goal kick and beat two defenders before taking a successful strike at the frame. Then, with 1:57 remaining in the period, a Felician corner kick deflected off of a GCU defender to the foot of sophomore forward Stephanie Hesse (Lincoln Park, N.J.), who finished for her third goal of the week.
Nowak struck again with seven minutes, eight seconds gone by in the second half, using a pass from Felician leading scorer Macki Groves (Millville, N.J.) to give the visitors a 3-1 edge. GCU drew closer on a Peacock goal in the 64th minute, but the Golden Falcons went back ahead by two on a header by Marissa Nieves (Brick, N.J.) with 17:14 remaining. Sophomore Carly Brantner (Waldwick, N.J.) assisted on the play
Sheridan made a season-high nine saves, including two in the final 17 minutes, to earn the victory. Georgian Court finished with a 19-16 edge in shots, but Felician's Groves was the individual leader with a season-high seven. The Golden Falcons also survived an 8-3 disadvantage in corner kick opportunities. Junior keeper Casey O'Connor (Toms River, N.J.) stopped seven shots for the Lions.
The victory was the 49th in the career of Felician head coach Thomas Notte of Mount Arlington, tying him with current Golden Falcon athletics director Ben DiNallo Jr. for the all-time lead at the school. Notte's first chance at the record will come on Oct. 4, when Felician hosts Holy Family University at 5:30 p.m. at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex.
Felician went 2-1-1 in its two-week stretch of four consecutive CACC road matches.
