May 11, 2007
DENVER, Colo. -- Sophomore goalie Vanessa Nieves came off the bench to record 10 saves and lead second-seeded Navy to an 11-8 victory over third-seeded UC Santa Barbara. The win moves Navy into the USL WDIA national championship game on Saturday at 3:00 pm (MST) at the University of Denver's Barton Stadium against the winner of Cal Poly-Colorado State.
"Vanessa, obviously, came up big today in goal for us and really gave us a lift off the bench," said Navy head coach Cindy Timchal. "She made several key saves and really controlled the game. It was a fantastic effort by her, and the defense as well. We played really well on the defensive end after yesterday's performance. It was good to bounce back with such a strong effort."
Nieves entered the game with Navy trailing 5-3 after just 11 minutes of play. The Long Branch, N.J., native allowed just three goals while making a career-high 10 saves in the final 41 minutes of the game.
UCSB freshman Maggie Aker scored two goals and an assist during a three-goal UCSB run in the first half that gave the Gauchos the 5-3 lead, but Navy scored the final three goals of the first half to take a 6-5 halftime lead. Navy freshman Erin Rawlick scored two of the three goals.
UCSB's Katie LaJoie scored first in the second half to tie the game at six, but Navy put together another three-goal run, capped by another Rawlick goal with 16:07 remaining, to go in front 9-6. UCSB was unable to get closer than two goals down the stretch.
Rawlick (4 g) and Amanda Towey (1 g, 3 a) led the Mids with four points each. Freshman Mary Ruttum tallied three goals, while Elise Chapdelaine scored twice. Valerie Cappalaere rounded out Navy's scoring with one goal. In addition to Nieves, Natalie Blandon stopped one shot in the first half.
The Cal Poly-Colorado State was being played at the time of release. Cal Poly is the six-time defending champion and entering today's game, was 23-0 all-time in the USL WDIA Tourmament. The title game will be televised nationally on a tape delay basis by CSTV with the first airing scheduled for Wednesday, May 16 at 8:00 pm (EST).
# GO NAVY #
