Montclair, NJ – Sophomore
Martina Landeka (Westfield, NJ, Westfield) and junior
Kaila Fasano (Westwood, NJ, Westwood) scored on each side the halftime break as No. 1/5 and top-seeded Montclair State blanked fourth-seeded Richard Stockton 2-0 in the semifinals of the NJAC Women's Soccer Championship at MSU Soccer Park on Tuesday evening.
The Red Hawks (18-0), the defending conference champion, will host No. 9/23 and third-seeded The College of New Jersey on Friday, November 8 at MSU Soccer Park beginning at 7:00 pm . The Lions (16-2-1) knocked off second-seeded Rowan 1-0 in Glassboro to set up the fifth championship game showdown between the two schools.
The winner of the game on Friday receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship which gets underway next week.
Montclair State, which set a new single-season record for victories, defeated the Lions, 1-0 on September 28 on a goal by Shawn Grabowski in the second half. MSU broke the previous mark of 17 win set by the 2000 squad.
Senior goalkeeper Sarah Hinkle (Mullica Hill, NJ / Paul VI) made six saves for Stockton, which fell to 15-7 with its second loss to the Red Hawks in 10 days. Montclair beat the Ospreys 3-0 in Galloway Township on October 26.
Montclair State got on the board in the 14th minute as Fasano headed a ball that hit the crossbar. The rebound bounced around and found its way to Landeka, who headed in the loose ball for her fifth of the season and a 1-0 MSU lead.
The goal was the first by MSU in the NJAC Tournament since 2008 when Katie Minervini scored against Stockton in a 3-1 loss in the semifinals that season. Since then the Red Hawks went without five tournament games (594:14 total) without scoring a goal, posting a 0-2-3 mark during that span which included scoreless ties in last year's semifinals and title game. MSU would prevail in penalty kicks both time to claim its second NJAC title.
Meanwhile the MSU defense, ranked atop Division III in goals allowed and shutout percentage, smothered the Ospreys offense and did not allow a shot, the fifth time this season the Montclair has not allowed a shot in a game.
Fasano added the insurance goal at the 70:41 mark of the second half taking a top of the box feed from
Erin Sullivan (Bridgewater, NJ, Bridgewatwer-Raritan) and depositing it inside the left post for her eighth of the season.
Junior
Gina Policastro (East Brunswick, NJ, East Brunswick), the NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year, registered her 11th shutout of the season as the Red Hawks registered their 16th of the year. Policastro currently leads Division III in that category.
Friday's championship game will mark the eighth time that the Lions and Red Hawks will meet in the NJAC Tournament including the aforementioned four title contests. MSU is 0-5-2 in those games losing in the championship games in Ewing in 2002 and 2006 and at home in 2003. The two played to a scoreless draw in the 2004 championship game with MSU claiming the NJAC crown in penalty kicks 3-1.
