Upper Montclair, NJ (11/16/02) — The Montclair State University women's soccer team advanced to its third consecutive ECAC Division III Metro Tournament championship game with today's 3-0 victory over Manhattanville (NY) College on the rainy grass of MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field.

Sophomore forwards STEPHANIE SABALIAUSKAS (Edison, NJ/Mt. St. Mary Academy), SHIRAH ODEH (Pompton Lakes, NJ/Pompton Lakes) and junior midfielder STEPHANIE SANTOS (East Hanover, NJ/East Hanover, NJ) scored the goals for top-seeded Montclair, which improved to 12-6-2 overall on the year, while fourth-seeded Manhattanville finished the year at 11-11. MSU goalkeeper STEPHANIE ROMANKO notched her 13th shutout of the season and the 46th of her career after making seven saves, and also became the NCAA Division III all-time women's soccer leader with 7,744 career minutes played in her four seasons.

Sabaliauskas put MSU ahead for good with her unassisted goal with just over 18 minutes remaining in the first half, as she dribbled wide right around Manhattanville senior goalkeeper LIZ McNAMEE (West Hartford, CT/Conard) and rolled a slow shot inside the far post for her team-leading 12th goal of the year. McNamee (four saves) left the game for Manhattanville in the second half after suffering a rib injury while making a save at the left post. Odeh scored her sixth goal of the season with just under 15 minutes remaining in regulation, redirecting home a corner kick from the left by freshman forward KELLY DUTKO (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert). Odeh had earlier hit the left post from in close while MSU was still nursing a 1-0 lead. Santos then closed out the scoring with seven minutes left on her first goal of the fall by volleying a shot over Manhattanville freshman goalkeeper VIRGINIA MALONE (New Canaan, CT/St. Luke's School), who finished with five saves for the visiting Valiants. Sophomore midfielder LAUREN SIGNORELLA (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) assisted on the Red Hawks' final goal. MSU outshot Manhattanville, 14-7, on the afternoon, in winning its fourth game in its last five outings overall.

The Red Hawks will now end the year by hosting second-seeded Richard Stockton College, which defeated third-seeded Rutgers-Camden today, 2-0, for the ECAC Metro title at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, at Sprague Field. Montclair defeated Stockton, 1-0, back on Nov. 2 in Pomona, NJ to finish second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. MSU won the 2000 ECAC crown with a 1-0 win over New York University, before NYU returned the favor with a 2-0 home triumph last year.