Thursday, November 4
Annapolis, Md,
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
9-7-3, 5-2-2
1
at
0
Navy (PL Semifinals)
11-6-3, 6-2-1
1
2
3
F
Bucknell
0
0
1
1
Navy
0
0
0
0
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Deda’s Golden Goal Sends Bucknell Women’s Soccer into Patriot League Championship Match
11/4/2021 9:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Bucknell freshman Teresa Deda has been one of the nation's top feeders all season long, but on Thursday night with her team mired in a scoreless tie with Navy in the early stages of overtime, Deda took matters into her own hands, or more accurately, her own left foot. The rookie center midfielder tucked a shot inside the right post 3:09 into extra time, sending the fourth-seeded Bison to the Patriot League championship match for the seventh time in team history.
Bucknell will now travel to top-seeded Boston University on Sunday at 1 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+.
Two-time defending champion Navy and Bucknell lined up at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility as the two highest-scoring teams in the Patriot League, and when the two sides met in Lewisburg back on Sept. 18 there were a combined six goals on the board in Bucknell's 4-2 victory. As expected in a postseason elimination game, this one was played closer to the vest, although the Bison did generate a number of quality chances – including three shots that caught the crossbar – even though the second-seeded Mids saw a bit more of the ball throughout the night.
This was the first time all season that Navy was shut out by a Patriot League opponent, and only the fourth time overall in 20 contests.
"That was a fun one to be a part of," said head coach Kelly Cook, who took the Bison to three straight finals from 2015-17, winning the last two. "Navy is such a great attacking team, and Alexa Riddle really came on late in the season and scored some huge goals for them. She was a big focus of our back line, and we knew we needed to get numbers behind the ball, communicate, and commit to being great 1v1 defenders. We checked all of those boxes and really did a good job preventing shots before they happened. Seniors Claire Mensi and Alana Carlucci were our leaders back there, and the whole back line along with Petie Nassetta and Jenna Hall were outstanding."
The story of the match in regulation seemed to be the unkind crossbar. Just 11 minutes into the game, Deda curled a shot from about 25 yards out that was tipped into the bar by Navy goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher.
Only 30 seconds into the second half, Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Rylee Donaldson and Deda worked a pretty give-and-go to find space for Donaldson, but the Patriot League's leading goal-scorer solidly struck the woodwork. Then just before the hour mark, Nassetta ran on to a clearance and blasted another rising shot off the top of the frame.
In the 71st minute, Deda just missed high after Nassetta won possession with a strong tackle in her own defensive third.
Navy's most dangerous moment came in the 83rd minute. After a scramble in the box, the ball fell to Carolyn Mang with space to shoot at the top of the box, but Tracey made an important block. Three minutes later Patriot League Rookie of the Year Alexa Riddle sent a long shot toward the top left corner, but Hall went up high for the save. Riddle came into the night with seven goals in her last six games, but that was her lone attempt of the night.
Bucknell took the only two shots in overtime, and Deda ended it early in the extra period. Navy cleared a ball out of its back line, but Deda gathered the loose ball in space. She dribbled past one defender, cut infield to her left and from the top of the arc blasted a left-footed strike past the outstretched Gallagher into the back of the net.
"It was a pretty amazing feeling just to be surrounded by my teammates," said Deda afterward. "They were dropping off on defense which allowed the midfielders some space to shoot. I saw a gap and decided to go for it."
"Rylee has been such a big focus of opposing defenses, so it's important for others to step up," said Cook. "If they want to drop off and prevent through balls, then we need to take that space. Teresa and Petie both had some great looks tonight, unfortunately a couple of them hit the crossbar."
Deda's 12 assists are the most in the Patriot League and eighth-most in the nation, but she led the team with six shot attempts in this one. This was her second goal of the season, with both coming against Navy. It was her late insurance marker that thwarted the Mids' comeback attempt in the 4-2 Bison win Lewisburg in the first game of the Patriot League schedule.
Bucknell, which is now 4-1 all-time against Navy in the postseason, finished with an 18-9 shot advantage and a 5-3 edge in corner kicks. Gallagher was credited with seven saves for the Mids, who fell to 11-6-3 while the Bison improved to 10-7-3.
Bucknell will now travel to Boston for the championship fixture, after the Terriers defeated Army 1-0 in the other semifinal on Thursday. The two teams met in the 2015 and 2016 finals, with the Terriers winning 1-0 at home in 2015 and the Bison 2-1 in overtime in Lewisburg the following season.
The Bison and Terriers played to a 2-2 draw at Emmitt Field on Oct. 16, with Boston University twice erasing one-goal deficits. Abby Gearhart scored twice for Bucknell, but Lily Matthews tallied in the 88th minute to salvage a point for the Terriers.
"We are excited to play for the championship," said Cook. "If you want to win a title you have to take on the best, and Boston University has a great team and is deserving of the No. 1 seed. The last time we played them we gave up a late goal, and we walked away from that game feeling more like a loss than a tie. We're excited to get another shot at it, and we will be ready for the challenge."
Bucknell will now travel to top-seeded Boston University on Sunday at 1 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+.
Two-time defending champion Navy and Bucknell lined up at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility as the two highest-scoring teams in the Patriot League, and when the two sides met in Lewisburg back on Sept. 18 there were a combined six goals on the board in Bucknell's 4-2 victory. As expected in a postseason elimination game, this one was played closer to the vest, although the Bison did generate a number of quality chances – including three shots that caught the crossbar – even though the second-seeded Mids saw a bit more of the ball throughout the night.
While Deda's wonder strike will garner the headlines, the performance of Bucknell's defensive unit was noteworthy. With standout defensive midfielder Petie Nassetta playing in front of the back four of Leanne Engemann, Claire Mensi, Brooke Tracey and Alana Carlucci, the Bison limited Navy to only nine total shots and only one on frame in 93 minutes. Goalkeeper Jenna Hall made her lone save on a shot from distance with 3:30 left in regulation.What a goal by Teresa Deda! The Patriot League assist leader does it by herself this time, and the Bison are moving on to the @PatriotLeague final! #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/w92LfTj7GT
— Bucknell WSoccer (@Bucknell_WSOC) November 5, 2021
This was the first time all season that Navy was shut out by a Patriot League opponent, and only the fourth time overall in 20 contests.
"That was a fun one to be a part of," said head coach Kelly Cook, who took the Bison to three straight finals from 2015-17, winning the last two. "Navy is such a great attacking team, and Alexa Riddle really came on late in the season and scored some huge goals for them. She was a big focus of our back line, and we knew we needed to get numbers behind the ball, communicate, and commit to being great 1v1 defenders. We checked all of those boxes and really did a good job preventing shots before they happened. Seniors Claire Mensi and Alana Carlucci were our leaders back there, and the whole back line along with Petie Nassetta and Jenna Hall were outstanding."
The story of the match in regulation seemed to be the unkind crossbar. Just 11 minutes into the game, Deda curled a shot from about 25 yards out that was tipped into the bar by Navy goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher.
Only 30 seconds into the second half, Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Rylee Donaldson and Deda worked a pretty give-and-go to find space for Donaldson, but the Patriot League's leading goal-scorer solidly struck the woodwork. Then just before the hour mark, Nassetta ran on to a clearance and blasted another rising shot off the top of the frame.
In the 71st minute, Deda just missed high after Nassetta won possession with a strong tackle in her own defensive third.
Navy's most dangerous moment came in the 83rd minute. After a scramble in the box, the ball fell to Carolyn Mang with space to shoot at the top of the box, but Tracey made an important block. Three minutes later Patriot League Rookie of the Year Alexa Riddle sent a long shot toward the top left corner, but Hall went up high for the save. Riddle came into the night with seven goals in her last six games, but that was her lone attempt of the night.
Bucknell took the only two shots in overtime, and Deda ended it early in the extra period. Navy cleared a ball out of its back line, but Deda gathered the loose ball in space. She dribbled past one defender, cut infield to her left and from the top of the arc blasted a left-footed strike past the outstretched Gallagher into the back of the net.
"It was a pretty amazing feeling just to be surrounded by my teammates," said Deda afterward. "They were dropping off on defense which allowed the midfielders some space to shoot. I saw a gap and decided to go for it."
"Rylee has been such a big focus of opposing defenses, so it's important for others to step up," said Cook. "If they want to drop off and prevent through balls, then we need to take that space. Teresa and Petie both had some great looks tonight, unfortunately a couple of them hit the crossbar."
Deda's 12 assists are the most in the Patriot League and eighth-most in the nation, but she led the team with six shot attempts in this one. This was her second goal of the season, with both coming against Navy. It was her late insurance marker that thwarted the Mids' comeback attempt in the 4-2 Bison win Lewisburg in the first game of the Patriot League schedule.
Bucknell, which is now 4-1 all-time against Navy in the postseason, finished with an 18-9 shot advantage and a 5-3 edge in corner kicks. Gallagher was credited with seven saves for the Mids, who fell to 11-6-3 while the Bison improved to 10-7-3.
Bucknell will now travel to Boston for the championship fixture, after the Terriers defeated Army 1-0 in the other semifinal on Thursday. The two teams met in the 2015 and 2016 finals, with the Terriers winning 1-0 at home in 2015 and the Bison 2-1 in overtime in Lewisburg the following season.
The Bison and Terriers played to a 2-2 draw at Emmitt Field on Oct. 16, with Boston University twice erasing one-goal deficits. Abby Gearhart scored twice for Bucknell, but Lily Matthews tallied in the 88th minute to salvage a point for the Terriers.
"We are excited to play for the championship," said Cook. "If you want to win a title you have to take on the best, and Boston University has a great team and is deserving of the No. 1 seed. The last time we played them we gave up a late goal, and we walked away from that game feeling more like a loss than a tie. We're excited to get another shot at it, and we will be ready for the challenge."
Team Stats
BISON
NAVY
Goals
1
0
Shots
18
9
Shots on Goal
8
1
Saves
1
7
Corners
5
3
Fouls
9
8
Scoring Plays
Teresa Deda (2)
GOAL by BISON Deda, Teresa.
93:09
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
6
SOG
3
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Women's SoccerM
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerM
/ Women's Soccer
D
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