Montclair, NJ – Senior goalkeeper GINA POLICASTRO came up with an amazing performance stopping eight shots and added three more in penalty kicks lifting No.8 and top-seeded Montclair State to its second NJAC Championship in three years as the Red Hawks outlasted No. 12 and second-seeded The College of New Jersey on Saturday evening.

Policastro's heroics along with a clutch goal from freshman DANIELLA GRECO gave the Red Hawks (17-1-2) their third conference title overall and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. MSU will learn its NCAA fate on Monday, November 10 in a live selection show on NCAA.com at 1:00 pm.
It will be Montclair's third straight and fifth appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. Last year, the Red Hawks reached the Sectional Tournament for the first time in program history.

For the second straight year and third time in five championship game meetings, it would take penalty kicks to decide a conference champion although it appeared as though that wouldn't be the case early on. Montclair and TCNJ entered the game allowing a combined seven goals yet each surrendered one in the first half.

The Lions (15-2-1), who had their seven-game winning streak snapped with the draw, grabbed a 1-0 lead at the 19:48 mark in the first half as freshman Elizabeth Thoresen (Colts Neck, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) blasted a pass from Korrie Harkins (Wenonah, NJ / Gloucester Catholic) from outside the top of the circle over the head of Policastro and into the goal giving the Lions the early lead. It was Thoresen's sixth goal of the season.

Later in the period, Montclair would get another save from Policastro at 30:20 and turned that into the tying goal. Moving the ball back down the field, freshman TYLER MADISON ripped a shot from the top the banged off the crossbar. The ball bounced free and an alert Greco charged toward the net knocking in the rebound for her third of the year knotting the game at 1-1.

It was the first goal allowed by the Lions since October 4 when MSU's FRANCESCA GIBSON scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory in Ewing.

In the second half, Policastro and TCNJ keeper Kendra Griffith (Cherry Hill, NJ / Cherry Hill West) each traded saves early in the period before the Lions created a flurry of chances in the final 15 minutes. 

Jessica Goldman (Belle Mead, NJ / Montgomery), the NJAC Rookie of the Year, fired a shot from the top of the box that Policastro snared with a diving save to the right post at 79:01. Less than a minute later Policastro came up with perhaps her most spectacular save, a leaping punch out of a shot from Taylor Lusardi (Randolph, NJ / Randolph) that was headed toward the upper right corner.

The save produced a corner kick for the Lions who nearly capitalized on that opportunity as Thoresen connected on a shot from close in on the right side that appeared headed in however senior KERRY GLYNN cleared the ball away at the line on the left post keeping the game tied and headed to overtime.

TCNJ would get the best chances in the two overtime periods however all three were denied by Policastro who stopped Christine Levering (Robbinsville, NJ / Robbinsville) twice in the first extra period before making another save against Lusardi four minutes into the second OT.

It was on to penalty kicks where the Lions prevailed last year 4-2 to dethrone MSU as conference champions. This time Montclair would wrestle it back thanks to Policastro, who stoned Lusardi on the first kick with a dive to her left. Gibson gave MSU a 1-0 lead converting her attempt however Lori Genovesi (Pennington, NJ / Hopewell Valley) answered for TCNJ and the kicks were 1-1 after two rounds when Montclair's second attempt hit off the post.

Kathryn Bednarsky (Hackettstown, NJ / Gill St. Bernards) opened the third round with a goal which was matched by the Red Hawks' KENDEL BERNARDINI knotting the shootout at 2-2. Policastro denied Thoresen in the fourth round and junior MARTINA LANDEKA put Montclair in front with her conversion.

Senior Gina Caprara (New Providence, NJ / New Providence) stepped to the line needing to score to keep the shootout going but Policastro came up with another diving stop sending the Red Hawks bench and MSU Soccer Park into a frenzy as Montclair State claimed the NJAC title.

Griffith finished with three saves for the Lions, who outshot Montclair State 23-11 in the game and had a 12-2 advantage in corner kicks.

It was the ninth time Montclair State and TCNJ met in the NJAC Tournament, including the aforementioned five championship game contests. MSU is 0-2-3 in those games however it has prevailed two of the three times in penalty kicks having also done so in 2004. In fact all three have of Montclair State's NJAC championships have won via penalty kicks as the Red Hawks topped Kean in similar fashion in 2012.