BOX SCORE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2011) – A scrappy Wagner College team did all it could to put a scare into the Saint Francis University women's soccer faithful on Monday afternoon.  In the end, however, the Red Flash pulled out a 2-1 OT victory at Wagner Stadium to clinch the program's first-ever Northeast Conference regular season title.

With the win Saint Francis (12-6-1; 8-1-1 NEC) also clinched the right to host this weekend's NEC Championship – a tournament it won on the road a season ago – at DeGol Field in Loretto.

“We're very proud that we were able to make school history by winning the regular season championship,” said head coach Brenda van Stralen.  “We're excited to be coming home to prepare for this next step.”

But, after watching an early one goal lead slip away in the 67th minute, SFU's spot in school history was far from set in stone.

Nearly an hour after Flash junior Tesa McKibben (Cogan Station, Pa./Montoursville) notched her league-leading 14th goal of the season with help from Traci Flick (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville) at the 7:58 mark, the Seahawks made it a new game.  Wagner's Julie Vigliotti found a loose ball in front of the net and promptly deposited it into the lower-right corner for her team-leading sixth tally of the season.

Regulation expired in a 1-1 draw but, in the game's 93rd minute, Saint Francis' unofficial “closer” stepped up.  McKibben passed to sophomore Stephanie Boulter (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) who scored her third goal of the season from eight yards out.  More remarkably, it gave Boulter her fifth-career goal, each of which has been a game-winner.

Saint Francis will face fourth-seeded Sacred Heart at noon on Friday.  The Red Flash defeated the Pioneers 2-0 in Loretto during the regular season.