Byrne's Save Lifts Royals Past Drew, 2-1, In Landmark Conference Championship Match Saturday At Fitzpatrick Field
SCRANTON, Pa.—Of all the saves that University of Scranton senior goalkeeper Caitlin Byrne (East Rutherford, N.J./IHA) has made over the past four years, none was more important than the one she made in the closing seconds of the Landmark Conference championship match against Drew University Saturday afternoon at Fitzpatrick Field.
With an NCAA tournament bid on the line and the Royals clinging to a one-goal lead, Byrne jumped up and punched a shot attempt by Ranger junior midfielder Emily Tine (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) over the crossbar with 21 seconds remaining to preserve Scranton's 2-1 victory.
Byrne, who was named the conference's defensive player of the year Friday, finished with three saves as the Royals won their second Landmark Conference title in four seasons and the 17th conference championship in the program's 28-year history. In addition, the Royals, now 15-4-1, will advance to the NCAA Division III championships for the 12th time in school history.
Scranton built up a 2-0 lead early in the second half on goals by senior midfielder Chelsea Paskman (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South), the two-time conference offensive player of the year, and first-year forward Samantha Russo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), the conference's rookie of the year, and appeared headed for an easy victory.
Not so.
In the 67th minute, the Rangers were awarded a penalty kick when Scranton was called for a handball violation in the box. Drew senior back Allison McCord (Southampton, N.J./Bishop Eustace Preparatory) drilled a shot towards the left corner of the net that hit the upright and was touched by a Royal defender before it went out of boards. A scramble in front of the net on the ensuing corner kick by Ranger freshman midfielder Liz Loiodice (Forest Hill, Md./John Caroll) led to a goal by junior forward Christine Meconi (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) to slice the lead to one.
Down the stretch, Drew junior forward Emily Weida (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Country Day) delivered a picture-perfect cross from the right sideline in front of the Royal goal, but no one was in the vicinity to convert the possible scoring opportunity.
With time running out, Tine drilled her potential match-tying shot from just outside the box that Byrne saved to seal the win. The Rangers could not get a shot attempt off in the closing seconds after being awarded a corner after Byrne's save.
The Royals came out aggressively, putting early pressure on Ranger sophomore goalkeeper Kim Jaikisson (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia), who made two of her match-high eight saves in the opening three minutes of play. For the match, Scranton held a 23-11 advantage in shots.
The Royals finally broke through in the 32nd minute when sophomore midfielder Sydney Parker (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) advanced a ball through to Paskman, who drilled a shot from 14 yards out from the right perimeter for her sixth goal of the season. Parker's assist was her fifth of the year.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Royal sophomore midfielder Sarah Gibbons (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) pushed a pass towards Russo, who responded by drilling a shot from 18 yards out into the left corner of the net for her team-leading ninth goal of the season. Moments later, Russo fought through a Ranger defender on the left sideline and found herself in a one-on-one situation against Jaikisson, but her shot attempt was knocked away by Jaikisson.
The Royals will return to the NCAA tournament, whose 63-team field will be announced Monday morning, for the first time since a 4-3 loss in overtime to Middlebury College (Vt.) on November 11, 2006, which turned out to be the final one for then head coach Joe Bochicchio, who passed in July 2007, a month after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. A native of Scranton, Bochicchio coached the Royals for 23 seasons and led them to 296 victories, including 15 titles in Scranton's previous affiliation with the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation, and 11 NCAA tournament appearances.
