Box Score NEWARK, N.J. - Junior midfielder
Sara Corson led an offensive avalanche with four goals and an assist as Rutgers University-Newark earned the first post-season victory in program history with an 8-0 win over Lehman College under the lights on Alumni Field.
The Scarlet Raiders (13-7-2) out-shot the Lightning, 23-0, in the first half on their way to the ECAC Metro/Upstate Championship quarterfinal victory and amassed a 29-2 advantage for the night. Rutgers-Newark attempted nine corner kicks to one for the visitors.
The Raiders will host the semifinals and finals on Alumni Field this weekend. On Saturday, top-seeded Richard Stockton (15-8-0) takes on fourth-seeded Stevens (12-7-0) at 11 a.m. before second-seeded Rutgers-Newark squares off against third-seeded Sage Colleges (12-5-2) at 2 p.m. The winners meet in Newark at 7 p.m. on Sunday in the title match.
Rutgers-Newark extended its season victories record by posting its largest point total of the year while notching its sixth shutout.
Sophomore forward
Paige Lazar gave the Raiders a 6-0 lead at the half with back-to-back goals after assisting on Corson's first goal in the 11
th minute. Lazar pushed her season goal total to 10.
Sophomore forward Rachel DaCosta tallied a goal and an assist while senior midfielder
Sarah Cunha netted the second score of the contest in the 16
th minute. Defenders
Emily Corson,
Allyson Daly and
Manuela Morales earned assists.
Junior goalkeeper
Veronika Tueros (6-7-2) did not face a shot to post the win before freshmen
Diana Carvalho and
Irais Gonzalez preserved the shutout by sharing duty in goal during the final 45 minutes. Gonzalez made the only Raider save, stopping a shot by Lehman junior forward Ana Lopes in the 81
st minute.
Lehman freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Gonzalez (8-9-1) recorded 11 saves.
The four goals and nine points were personal highs for Corson who had recorded her second hat trick of the season in less than 27 minutes. The four goals tied her for the fifth most in a match in Raider history while her nine points tie her for the eighth in that category. She vaulted into a second-place tie on the single-season goals list with 21 while she extended her game-winning goals record to six for the season. With 49 points, Corson is just three points behind the record of 52 set in 2008 by Julia Caseres. Her 21 goals for the season tie her with Liana Abreu's 2011 output and put her one goal behind Caseres (22 in 2008) on the Raider list. Her seven assists this year tie her for ninth in that category.
Rutgers-Newark gets its first post-season win after falling in the 2008 ECAC Metro playoffs in opening round to NYU, 3-0, and dropping a 3-1 decision to Stockton in the opening round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament 11 day ago.
Sage advanced to the semifinals by rallying from a 2-0 second-half deficit to overtake the College of Staten Island in overtime, 3-2. Stockton edged Elmira, 2-1, in Galloway, N.J., while Stevens downed Kean, 2-1, with a goal in the 86th minute in Union, N.J.
