Freshman Ashley Swarts (Arkport, NY/Arkport) scored her second goal in three games and junior Nicole Sharick (Corfu, NY/Pembroke) added two goals as the Keuka College women's soccer team picked up a pivotal North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) victory with a 4-2 win over Morrisville State on a rainy Jephson Community Athletic Center field Tuesday night.
Sophomore Britni Burch (Almond, NY/Arkport) added her third goal of the season to finish off the scoring and help the Storm (7-6-1, 7-3-1 NEAC) solidify its postseason chances.
Keuka moved into a tie with Penn State-Berks (7-3-1 NEAC) for fourth-place in the NEAC standings. The top six teams earn berths in the postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6. Keuka and Berks trail third-place Penn State-Harrisburg (7-3) by half a game, with Keuka and Berks having one NEAC contest remaining, and Harrisburg with two conference games remaining.
Swarts staked Keuka to a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute, collecting a rebound and converting her shot towards the far post for the early lead. It remained 1-0 into the second half, when Sharick collected a loose ball from Sarah Capek (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) and scored in the 57th minute for a 2-0 lead.
The Storm defense denied every Mustangs (3-11-1, 2-9-1) opportunity before Burch pushed the lead to 3-0 with an unassisted goal in the 68th minute.
Morrisville got on the board in the 72nd minute when Kara Collins (New Berlin, N.Y.) scored on a scramble in front of the net, but Sharick responded with her second goal of the game, and team-leading sixth goal of 2011, in the 78th minute for a 4-1 lead.
Jordan Nadeau (Cobleskill, N.Y.) pulled the Mustangs within 4-2 in the 80th minute, but the Storm defense made the lead stand. Senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) made four saves for the win.
Jennifer Zidzik (Lambertville, N.J.) recorded the loss for the Mustangs, tallying 13 saves.
The Storm concludes the regular season with a 3 p.m. home showdown Saturday afternoon against SUNYIT (8-7-1, 6-3-1 NEAC). It will be Senior Day for Keuka's three seniors: Elly Disbrow (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan), Engelbert and student assistant coach Sara James (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) will be honored for their dedication to the Storm soccer team.
The Mustangs wrap up their 2011 season with a home match against Alfred on Thursday, October 25th at 6:30 PM on Drake Field.