BOX SCORE LORETTO, Pa. (Nov. 4, 2012) – LIU Brooklyn's Toni Smith scored in 87th to lift the Blackbirds to a 1-0 win over Saint Francis U in the 2012 Northeast Conference Championship in front of 557 at the Stokes Soccerplex on Sunday. 

The Blackbirds (10-7-3), who won their fourth league title and second in a row, now advance to the NCAA Women's College Cup.  The Red Flash ends its season with a mark of 14-5-2.

LIU's Shino Kunisawa gathered a loose ball and quickly slid a pass to Smith making a run up the left. Smith struck a bending shot far post that beat second team All-NEC goalkeeper Brianna Butcher (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) to tally the game's only score.

The Red Flash controlled the tempo offensively for much of the afternoon – particularly in the second half – but couldn't sneak a shot past LIU keeper Jessica Sexton. Saint Francis outshot Long Island 16-to-8 with seven Flash shots requiring a save from Sexton, who went on to claim tournament MVP honors.

Butcher along with defender Katy LaBella (Warwick, R.I./Toll Gate) and forward Tesa McKibben (Cogan Station, Pa./Montoursville) earned spots on the all-tournament team.  Butcher and LaBella were critical to a Saint Francis defense that led the NEC with nine shutouts on the season.