Concord's season ends on golden goal
Dec. 4—A day of firsts kept Concord from attaining the one it was looking for.
Lexi Grassia's golden goal less than three minutes into overtime led the College of Saint Rose to a 3-2 win over the Mountain Lions in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Saturday at the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex.
With the win, Saint Rose (17-1-4) advances to the Final Four for the third time in four seasons. The Golden Knights will face the winner of Sunday's game between Central (Mo.) and Grand Valley on Thursday in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"The ball came across the face of the goal and (Grassia) got in front of her (defender) and took a chance," Concord coach Luke Duffy said. "Credit to them for getting across the finish line and getting the job done."
It was the only loss of the season for Concord (20-1-3) and was also the first time one of their games was decided on a golden goal. All three of the Mountain Lions' regular season games that were tied after regulation resulted in draws.
Saint Rose was the first team to score three goals against the Mountain Lions this season.
Concord, which defeated West Chester 1-0 on Thursday for the first Atlantic Region championship in program history, was looking to become the first Atlantic champion to advance to the Final Four since West Chester did it in 2006. Instead, the East's run of dominance extended to 16 seasons.
All of the scoring in regulation took place in the second half, starting with Concord.
Yasmin Mosby, a super senior from Hatfield, England, fired her first shot of the day and put it through for a 1-0 Concord lead in the 58th minute. It was her 26th goal of the season, tying her for the national DII lead and extending her streak of games with at least one goal scored to 13.
Olivia Bekeleski assisted on the goal.
The Golden Knights answered three minutes later when Jen Bartlett scored an unassisted goal after a scrum in front of the net.
The Mountain Lions reclaimed the lead at 2-1 off a goal from Michelle Brogden, her seventh of the season. Mosby was credited with the assist to again help her team take the lead, this time in the 71st minute.
But the battle-tested Golden Knights put the pressure on with Ciera Lundy's header that tied it at 2-2 in the 78th minute.
That's where it stayed until Grassia's game-winner in the 93rd minute.
It was the end of a breakthrough season for Concord, which had its win streak snapped at 11 games. The Mountain Lions had one of the top defenses in the nation, posting 16 shutouts and a .423 goals against average, fourth in the nation, going in.
Keeper Leah Marsh, who had an 85.5 save percentage before the game, saved seven shots on Saturday.
Offensively, Concord scored a DII-best 79 goals, averaging 3.3 per game.
"Six years ago I came in and (we) won six games," Duffy said. "To be regional champions and play in an Elite Eight is fantastic. For us as a program, we're not going to stand still. Our seniors have left a legacy, and this legacy has to keep moving forward. We want to be here every year. This is just a learning experience. We're going to be back and that's going to be us (celebrating) one day. We're heartbroken right now but, looking (back) on the season, it's been fantastic."
Email: gfauber@register-herald.com and follow on Twitter @GaryFauber
