GENEVA, N.Y. (November 23, 2019)  – Senior Gabby Saade and sophomore Ally Wanzor each found the back of the net, however, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team fell to William Smith College 3-2 Saturday in an NCAA Third Round fixture played on Cozzens Field.

It was a tale of two halves as the Ducks struck for their two markers in the opening 29 minutes, while the Herons scored their three goals over an 18-minute stretch in the second half to earn the come-from-behind victory. Stevens saw their program record 15-match winning streak, which was the longest active streak in Division III, come to an end. The Ducks finish the season 17-4-1, marking the sixth time in program history that the team has earned at least 17 wins. 

Sheila McQuillen had a pair of goals for William Smith, who improved to 19-1-1. The Herons, ranked second in the final United Soccer Coaches poll of the regular season, have won 15 straight to claim the longest active winning streak in Division III. William Smith has won each of the two all-time meetings between the programs.

It was Stevens that jumped out first, with Saade breaking through in the fifth minute. Wanzor played a cross towards the top of the box. Saade spun right and fired a chip shot into the upper right corner of the goal for her ninth tally of the season. William Smith's goalkeeper Amanda Kesler initially lunged forward at the scoring try, but Saade was able to push the ball well beyond Kesler's reach to give Stevens the early advantage. The fifth-minute goal marked the fifth time in the last six matches that Ducks scored in the opening five minutes.

Saade's strike stunned the William Smith faithful, as the tally handed the hosts its first deficit since Sept. 21, a span of 1,264:48 and was just the fifth goal conceded by the Herons this season, and the first in nearly 828 minutes. Saade recorded at least one goal in four of her final six matches.

Following Saade's marker, the Ducks kept the pressure on William Smith with Wanzor firing a hard shot towards the bottom right corner of the net in the 10th minute that Kesler was able to snag. 

William Smith earned their first corner of the match five minutes later, however a pair of Stevens saves prevented the Herons from evening the match on their first scoring opportunity. Elizabeth Moore's try after the initial service was deflected by a Duck defender and then sophomore goalkeeper Izzy DiDario skied over the pack to catch Mariah Deschino's try for the top left corner to preserve the early lead.

Wanzor doubled the advantage in the 29th minute. The Jackson, New Jersey native struck a line drive into the upper left corner from well outside the 18-yard box to give Stevens a two-goal lead. The Ducks became the first team to score twice against William Smith in 35 matches, dating back to Sept. 19, 2018.

DiDario made four saves over the opening 45 minutes to keep the lead at two at the intermission. The Scotch Plains, New Jersey native finished with a 0.553 goals-against average, the fourth-lowest single-season mark in program history. 

William Smith came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, with McQuillen scoring twice in a 47-second span to even the match. The Herons' leading scorer put the home team on the board, knocking home an Amanda Adams pass through the scoring area after a loose ball was knocked around by both teams. The junior forward then beat DiDario into the lower left corner seconds later to even the match with 40 minutes remaining. 

William Smith pulled ahead for good in the 67th minute. Katrine Berg played a well-placed through ball to Adams inside the scoring area, who then tapped the ball into the bottom right corner for her second goal of the season. 

Wanzor attempted to even the match in the 71st minute, but Kesler stopped both scoring attempts to secure the victory. Neither side registered a shot over the final 19 minutes of the match.

The result closed the distinguished careers of Saade and classmate Julia Panko. The dynamic duo reached the NCAA Tournament in each of their four seasons on Castle Point, capturing three Empire 8 Conference titles and one MAC Freedom Championship. Collectively, the pair led Stevens to a 63-13-5 record, including a remarkable 30-1 mark against conference opponents. Over the last four seasons, the team has won four NCAA matches and reached the third round of the national tournament for the third time in program history. Most importantly, Saade and Panko also combined for five Academic All-District honors, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and are on track to finish with the highest combined GPA on any graduating class in program history.

Inside the Numbers

• William Smith held a slim 13-9 edge in shots, including a 9-7 advantage in shots on goal. The Herons came into the match averaging 35 shots and 19 shots on goal over their first two matches of the tournament.
• DiDario finished with five saves and totaled 18 over the three tournament fixtures.
• Each side earned four corners.

Unsung Hero

• Junior Kaitlyn Casiano was a threat to create offense throughout the opening half. The Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native often found herself open in space and was a key ingredient in the Herons' inability to combat the Ducks' team speed as Stevens' built their early lead.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Jeff Parker)

• "Unfortunately, we followed up one of our best halves of the season with one of our poorest starts to open a second half. William Smith had a lot to do with it as they changed shape and were able to put us under a ton of pressure. In the first half, we were able to solve it, the second half, we were not. It's tough to do that on the road with one of the nation's top programs on the other side of the field. That's why they're so good."
• "Overall, it was a good season. This group was able to set new standards for our program in so many ways. The seniors made sure to leave the program in a better place than how they found it; hard to do better than that. We'll be looking forward to our Spring Break Trip to Costa Rica and start preparing for 2020."

Up Next

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