HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 13, 2005) – Sophomore Cristina Fulgencio (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored a pair of goals in the first 15 minutes of the game in leading the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over 17th-ranked Johns Hopkins University in an NCAA Division III Championship Second Round match-up at DeBaun Field on Sunday evening in Hoboken, N.J. With the victory, the Ducks (20-2) avenge a 6-0 loss to the Blue Jays in the season-opener on September 3 and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Stevens, which had lost in the Second Round in each of the past three seasons, will face No. 2 The College of New Jersey (19-0) in the NCAA Sectionals next weekend. The date, time, and location of that game will be announced later this evening.
In the win over Johns Hopkins (17-4-1), Fulgencio staked the Ducks to a 1-0 lead at the 9:27 mark when she took advantage of a misplay by Blue Jays’ goalkeeper Jen Goebel (Jericho, N.Y.). On the play, junior Megan Legendre (O’Fallon, Ill.) found Fulgencio near the top of the box after Goebel lost control of the ball. Fulgencio lifted a shot over Goebel’s head and into the net to give the Ducks an early advantage.
Then, at the 14:53 mark, Fulgencio scored her second goal of the game and her seventh of the season as she lined a shot from the top of the box past a diving Goebel. Junior Siena York-Carr (Davis, Calif.) picked up the assist on the play.
After being out-shot 8-3 in the first half, Johns Hopkins applied more offensive pressure in the second period as the Blue Jays put together several good scoring chances.
With 28 minutes remaining in regulation, senior Meg McIntosh (Los Angeles, Calif.) ripped a hard shot from the left wing that Ducks’ junior goalkeeper Erica Midttveit (Jackson, N.J.) made a solid save on. Only two minutes later, the Blue Jays missed a golden opportunity when sophomore Johanna Chapin (Madison, Wis.) slid a shot just outside the right post from 15 yards out.
Johns Hopkins was finally able to break through with 10:53 remaining in the game as junior Lindsey Kimura (Los Angeles, Calif.) sent a long ball that McIntosh tracked down and headed over an on-charging Midttveit into an empty net.
For the game, Stevens owned an 11-9 advantage in shots. The Ducks also had four corner kicks to just one by the Blue Jays.
Midttveit had six saves for Stevens. Goebel finished with five saves in net.
