MANCHESTER, N.H. – Looking to head to another overtime in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament for the second game in a row, Avery Nogami and Izzy Alexandre passed each other the ball back and forth until Alexandre took a shot that found the back of the net and had the Thomas Jefferson University women's soccer team (17-2-1) hold onto a 2-1 victory over top-seed Saint Anselm College (10-3-5) and advance the Rams to the East Region Finals.
 
WHAT HAPPENED

• Both teams went on the offensive, with Saint Anselm outshooting Jefferson 9-7 in the first half
• The Hawks almost got on the board as a Connie Patturelli shot had the height to get in the top of the net. Carly Hayman made the adjustment and just tipped the ball over the net to keep the game scoreless.
• The Rams got on the board as Kyra Lesko went one-on-one with a defender, had a small opening, and took her shot that went to the top right corner, similar to the game-tying one last game,  and gave Jefferson a 1-0 lead with 14:55 left in the first half. The game would stay at that score heading into the break
• The second half had nearly 10 minutes pass before Saint Anselm evened the game as Amarys Jimenez pass in the middle found Kate Crowley, who netted the ball to the right corner. This was the first goal for the Hawks in 144:49 minutes against Jefferson. The game is tied at 1-1 at the 54:49 mark
• The Rams were outshooting Saint Anselm 10-5 but seemed to not be able to make their attempts
• With another overtime game looming for the Rams, a dump pass by the Hawks' defense allowed Alexandre to get the ball. She found Nogami down the right side. Nogami made a cut to her defender and tapped the ball to the middle, where Alexandre ran and knocked her shot right pass the goalkeeper and gave Jefferson a 2-1 lead with 10:28 left in the game
• A last second desperation shot did not come close to the Rams net as Jefferson went and took down the top-seed in the East Region for the second consecutive year, defeating Saint Anselm 2-1
• The Rams did this feat last year, beating top-seed and host team Adelphi University in regulation. They also repeated the steps in making the second round, winning an overtime match beforehand
• Hayman went to have two saves for Jefferson on the night. Samantha Swidorski had eight saves in the net for the Hawks

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Shots: Jefferson, 17-14
Shots-on-Goal: Jefferson, 11-3
Saves: Saint Anselm, 9-2
Corners: Saint Anselm, 7-5
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Kyra Lesko: 1 goal, 2 shots
Izzy Alexandre: 1 goal, 2 shots
Avery Nogami: 1 assist
Carly Hayman: 2 saves
 
UP NEXT
Jefferson now returns to the NCAA East Region Final/Sweet 16 for the second straight year, tying the farthest the team has made the NCAA Tournament as well as wins during a single tournament run. The Rams will now face a familiar opponent from last seasons run as they head up to Rindge, N.H. to go up against second seeded Franklin Pierce University. Jefferson went up there last season to take on the Ravens, with the game ending in a tie and Franklin Pierce winning the East Region as they advanced 3-1 in penalty kicks. The Rams will look to get payback against the Ravens on Sunday, November 30 at 12 p.m. Read Full Article