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ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Senior
Kelly Finn scored in the second half to lead the Golden Flyers to a 1-0 victory over visiting Utica in an Empire 8 women's soccer game. With the victory, Nazareth coach Gail Mann won her 200th game.
The Golden Flyers finish the 2008 regular season with an 11-6-1 overall record and a 7-1 record in the Empire 8. The Pioneers drop to 5-9-2 overall and 3-3-2 in the conference following the loss. With the victory, Nazareth clinched the second seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament next Saturday and Sunday.
After a balanced first half, Finn scored the lone goal of the game at the 63:17 mark following a corner kick. Sophomore
Kara Eaker crossed the ball into the box, which senior
Emily Zurschmit kicked to Finn, who headed the ball into the right side of Utica's net.
Nazareth's
Rachel Cushman also had a couple of scoring opportunities to increase the Golden Flyers' lead, however, the Pioneers' goalkeeper Samantha Lawrie stopped each of her shots.
The Pioneers had scoring opportunities throughout the game, but the Golden Flyers' defense held strong. In the first half, Utica had a golden opportunity to take the early lead after a corner kick, but Zurschmit headed the ball off Nazareth's goal line to keep the game scoreless. In the closing minutes of the game, Danielle Smith had another chance for the Pioneers but her shot deflected off the crossbar.
Lawrie finished with 11 saves for Utica while the Golden Flyers'
Hillary Simon made five saves to record the victory and her third shutout of the season.
Nazareth finished with a 17-12 advantage in shots and a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Mann, now in her 16th season with the Golden Flyers, reached the 200-win milestone by leading the Golden Flyers to double digit win totals in 13 of the last 14 seasons, including this year's 11-6-1 mark. Her overall coaching record is 200-86-26.
Ithaca will host the Empire 8 Tournament after finishing the season with a 7-1 Empire 8 record, including a 2-1 victory over Nazareth in overtime.