Story Courtesy of Stevens Athletics

HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team advanced to a seventh straight MAC Freedom Final with a 2-0 victory over DeSales in the semifinals on Wednesday night from DeBaun Athletic Complex.

How It Happened
The first 20+ minutes transpired fairly quietly, with a third-minute header high from Alina Friz serving as the only shot of the match to that point.
In the 21^st minute, Stevens (10-5-3) had three strong looks on an extended possession in the box, but Sophia Murphy had her shot stopped by DeSales keeper Campbell Pacheco, Abigail Davis hit the post after the save deflected out to her, and Alana Odom was stopped when Davis' shot off the post ricocheted to her.

The breakthrough for the Ducks came in the 26^th minute when Sophia Murphy was tripped up in the box, generating a penalty kick opportunity for Molly McCann, who went low and to the left, putting the Ducks on top.

The Ducks kept the pressure on late in the half, all the way to the break, generating three more shots and two more corners without conceding one of either.

In the opening 90 seconds of the second half, Victoria Parelli had a look from inside 10 yards out off a long ball into the box from Malia Chopra, but her volley trickled just wide of the right post. Davis also had a volley from inside 10 yards in the 59^th minute, but Pacheco sprawled for the save.

Malia Chopra had a free kick from about 25 yards out tipped off the crossbar in the 6^th minute as the Ducks were once again inches away from doubling their advantage.

After one near miss after another, the insurance goal finally came in the 88^th minute when the first-year pairing of Teagan Shay and Hannah Casale teamed up, with Shay crossing into an unmarked Casale inside 15 yards, who went top left corner past a diving effort from Pacheco.

Inside The Box Score

• Stevens improved to 10-0 all-time against DeSales with the win
• The Ducks posted their seventh straight home shutout, during which time they've now held five opponents to two shots or fewer
• McCann scored her fourth goal of the year and Casale scored her third; Shay's assist was her first point as a Duck
• Stevens has now won 10 matches in a row, the longest win streak for the program since the 2019 team won 15 matches in a row during its run to the third round of the NCAA Championships

Up Next
For the seventh time since 2019, Stevens and Misericordia will face off in the MAC Freedom Final on Saturday, with Stevens looking to repeat as conference champions. Match time is set for 3:30 from DeBaun.

#AllRise