HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 9, 2019)  – Senior Gabby Saade and sophomore Ally Wanzor each scored to lead No. 18/18 Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer to a 2-0 victory over Misericordia University Saturday at the DeBaun Athletic Conference to win the MAC Freedom Championship and an automatic berth to the Division III Women's Soccer Championship.

Juniors Erica O'Kelly and Kaitlyn Casiano each recorded an assist for the Ducks, who captured the conference's regular and postseason titles in their first season as a member of the MAC Freedom. Dating back to the program's tenure in the Empire 8 Conference, the Ducks have won five straight conference championships. The victory was the first conference championship for Stevens Athletics since rejoining the MAC Freedom last July.

Sophomore Izzy DiDario made a career-high seven saves for the Ducks, who won their 13th straight match to improve to 15-3-1. The victory ended Misericordia's run of three consecutive MAC Freedom titles. It's the third time in the last four seasons that the Ducks have won at least 13 consecutive matches.

Junior midfielder Emily Damrell was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after her performance in the championship match. Although the Scituate, Massachusetts native did not find the scoresheet, her ability to control play in the midfield with perfect positioning and hustle to 50-50 balls was an invaluable component of the final outcome.

First Team All-MAC Freedom goalkeeper Alexis Benedetto made five saves for the Cougars, who fell to 11-6-2, and saw their two-match winning streak come to an end. The Ducks have won both meetings between the programs.

After a scoreless first half, Casiano tracked down a long pass just inside the near-touch line in the 47th minute. The Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native quickly turned left and ran parallel to the goal line, beating her defending after the turn. Casiano sent a cross through the 18-yard box, which found Saade, who had the inside step against her defender. Saade redirected the pass off the outstretched arm of Benedetto and into the back of the net.

Wanzor provided an insurance goal less than 10 minutes later. O'Kelly ran through a tackle attempt in the 18 and fired a cross to Wanzor. The Jackson, New Jersey native took a few quick steps before striking a ball past a diving Benedetto for her fifth goal of the year.

Turning Point

• With the Ducks leading 1-nil, Misericordia threatened to even the match in the 49th minute. 
• An attempted through ball glanced off a Stevens defender and fell at the feet of the Cougars' Devyn Anderson.
• Anderson tried to thread a ball through the 18-yard box to Jeanna Orfanos with her right foot, however, Anderson had to avoid DiDario, who had come off her light.
• The adjustment forced the pass just to the right of the net and well beyond Orfanos' reach and went across the end line for a goal kick.
• The near-goal was one of Misericordia's best threats of the match.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens outshot Misericordia 20-13, although each side registered seven shots on net. Interestingly enough, Stevens did not register a shot on frame until the 40th minute.
• Each of Saade's three shot attempts registered on frame. Wanzor led all players with five shots.
• Misericordia earned five corner kicks against the Ducks' four, although Stevens held the Cougars without a corner in the second half.
• DiDario lowered her conference-leading goals-against average to 0.373.
• Over the program's last 49 matches against conference opponents, the Ducks have posted a 45-1-3 record, including each of the last 21.

Unsung Heroes

• The defensive group pitched their fifth straight clean sheet. The team has not conceded a goal since the 71st minute against DeSales on Oct. 23 - a span of 469:41.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Jeff Parker)

• "Obviously a big result for our team and our program. We have a ton of respect for Misericordia and to find our way past them this afternoon is something to be proud of. We wanted to honor the people that have helped us get to where we are today with our performance. Nothing quite like celebrating a conference title and it will be hard to forget the one today. Our group is still growing and especially happy to get at least another week with them. Can't wait for next weekend!"

Up Next

• Women's Soccer will learn its NCAA placement Monday afternoon when the Division III Tournament field is announced on NCAA.com at 1:00 p.m.
• Links for live stats and video will be published when available.

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