Purchase, NY –The Sage women's soccer team travelled to Purchase College for the 2015 Skyline Conference regular-season finale. Sage posted the 3-1 win over the Panthers to cap the best showing in Skyline Conference play for the team. Sage stands at 14-4 overall and went 8-1 in the league, to share the top spot in the Skyline Conference with Farmingdale State and Mt. St. Mary College as they too went 8-1. The 2015 Skyline Conference Regular-Season Championship title is the first for the Gator women's soccer team and is shared by FSC, MSMC, and Sage after they all went 8-1 in league play.
With the win, Sage has a new standard for victories in a season with 14, while the 8-1 finish and a No. 2 seed in the upcoming Skyline Conference tournament marks the best showing for the Gators since joining the Skyline Conference in 2007.
Sage took an early lead as junior forward Taylor Lynch (Woodstock, NY/Saugerties) scored just two minutes in the action on a feed from rookie forward Samantha Trimblett (Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury). The Panthers tied the score minutes later as Emily Saltman scored on a free shot from 18 yards out and it hit inside the cross bar for her eight goal at 5:19.
Deadlocked at 1-1 to open the second half, Trimblett broke the tie with her team-leading 11th goal of the year at 58:13. Lynch scored her second goal of the night at 78:40 to give the Gators a cushion and secure the key league victory. Lynch now has nine goals and 22 points, while Trimblett leads the team with 31 points on 11 goals and nine assists.
Senior goalie and team co-captain Nicole Maher (Glen Clove, NY/Saint Dominic) earned the win in goal after making six saves. She is now 13-2 in goal with 0.8 goals against average. On the season, Sage has now outscored their opponents by a 60-13 margin, while posting eight shutouts.
Sage has earned a first round bye in the 2015 Skyline Conference tournament and will host a semifinal game on Wednesday, November 4 at 1 p.m. at Albany College of Pharmacy's Athletic Complex. Sage will face the winner of the first-round match-up between the No. 6 College of Mt. St. Vincent and No. 3 Mt. St. Mary College, which takes place on October 31.
