Montclair, NJ (10/27/07) – Sophomore midfielder LARA KAMINSKI (Rahway, NJ/ Union Catholic) scored with just under three minutes to go while classmate NATALIA SISTI (Lincoln Park, NJ/ DePaul Catholic) netted the game-winner with 33 ticks remaining on the clock as fourth-seeded Montclair State rallied for three goals in the final 20 minutes to beat No. 5 seed Kean University, 3-2 in the opening round of the 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Championship at Sprague Field on Saturday.

Sisti finished with two goals as Montclair (9-8-1) overcame the 2-0 deficit to advance to the semifinals on Tuesday, October 30 where they will face top-seed, two-time defending champion and third-ranked The College of New Jersey at the TCNJ Soccer Complex at 3:00 pm.  It will mark the seventh time in MSU's nine appearances since the tournament's inception in 1999 that they will tangle with the Lions in the conference tournament. Last year, TCNJ topped the Red Hawks 1-0 to win their second straight league crown.

Sophomore Kristin Cizek (Manalapan, NJ / St. John Vianney) and Shannon Blackburn (Vernon, NJ / Vernon) each had a goal for Kean, which fell to 8-9-2 with the loss. The Cougars were making their sixth consecutive appearance in the NJAC Tournament.

Trailing 2-0 through the first 70 minutes of the game, Montclair would cut the deficit to one as Sisti scored her 10th goal of the year. Freshman CHRISTYN SCILLIERI (Wayne, NJ / Wayne Valley) slid a pass over to the right side where Sisti tapped in a shot inside the right post at the 7:35 mark.

That's the way the game stood until 2:44 left to play when Kaminski was taken down just outside the 18-yard line on the right wing and the Red Hawks were awarded a free kick. Setting up for the kick, Kaminski caught the Cougars off guard lofting the ball inside the near post to tie the game at 2-2. Then with 40 seconds remaining, Montclair pushed the ball down inside the six yardline where Kean goalkeeper Nicole Groszew (Denville, NJ / Morris Knolls) and Sisti raced after the loose ball. The two nearly collided and the ball rolled free, however Sisti was able to keep her balance and got enough of the ball to trickle it into the net for the game-winning goal. It was Sisti's team-leading 11th of the season.

Kean grabbed a 1-0 lead 9:49 into the contest. Senior Michelle Fisher (Scotch Plains, NJ /SP-Fanwood) served a ball through two defenders onto a streaking Cizek, who dribbled in 10 yards against MSU goalie LEAH TEPPERMAN (North Andover, NJ / North Andover) before knocking in a shot inside the left post for her third of the season. Just under 20 minutes later, Blackburn extended the lead to 2-0 as she spun away from a defender on the left side and moved within 15 yards before she uncorked a shot to the left-middle portion of the net for her second tally of the year.

Groszew made three saves for Kean while Tepperman had two for Montclair State, which outshot the Cougars, 9-7 in the contest. The Red Hawks also had the lone corner kick in the game.