For the first time ever, Binghamton and New Hampshire will play for the America East Women’s Soccer Championship. It will be the first time since 2015 that the tournament’s top two seeds decide the title.
At UNH, Abbi Maier scored a pair of goals to lift the second-seeded Wildcats to a 2-1 win over third-seeded Maine. The win sends New Hampshire to the title game for the second-straight season.
In the other semifinal, a back and forth epic contest ended 3-3 before top-seeded Binghamton advanced in penalty kicks, 3-2 over fifth-seeded UAlbany thanks to three saves by Bearcat goalkeeper Nicole Scott. The Bearcats will be appearing in their second championship tilt in three seasons.
The Bearcats will host the Wildcats in the 2022 America East Women’s Soccer Championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+ domestically and AE.TV internationally.
Semifinals Recap
#1 Binghamton 3, #5 UAlbany 3 (Binghamton Advances in PKs, 3-2)
- Binghamton struck first in the ninth minute when first-team All-Conference selections Peyton Gilmore and Olivia McKnight teamed up for a score. Gilmore fed McKnight, the #AEWSOC Midfielder of the Year, for her seventh goal of the season.
- UAlbany tied up the game just three minutes into the second half on Joanna van Royen’s first goal of the season.
- The Great Danes took the lead on All-Rookie selection Selma Elverum’s goal just 10 minutes later and looked to be headed to the championship game.
- But, Maya Anand, the America East Striker of the Year, tied it with just 10:50 left and sent the game to overtime.
- In the first collegiate season without golden goal, both teams scored in the extra frame.
- First it was Anand again to give the Bearcats a brief advantage, then van Royen less than five minutes later.
- Scott, who didn’t play in the game, came off the bench and stopped UAlbany’s last three attempts to ice it.
#2 New Hampshire 2, #3 Maine 1
- Abbi Maier scored her first of two goals in the 21st minute off passes from Meghan Guarente and Emily Bini.
- Maine tied it up before halftime with Julie Lossius finding the back of the next in the 38th minutes.
- The game looked to be heading to overtime but Maier, an America East All-Rookie selection, struck again in the 86th minute, heading home the game winner off assists from Guarente and Bini for the second time.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
Follow @AmericaEast on Twitter and Instagram to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEWSOC hashtags to join the conversation.
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