The Roadrunner women's soccer team concluded their Fall 2021 season with a heart-breaking loss on penalty kicks to Suffolk County in Friday's NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Batavia, NY.
RCSJ-Gloucester, the No. 6 seed, finished in a 1-1 tie in regulation in their battle with the Sharks. Sophomore Miranda Uzdavines scored the game's first goal at 55:39 of the second half. But momemnts later, Cristina Diaz netted a goal for Suffolk County to send the game into overtime.
Following the overtime periods, the Shaeks won the shootout by a 6-5 count to seal the finakl outcome.
Coach Megan Ruttler's team finished the season with a 12-3-2 overall record.
No. 2 Brookhaven will play No. 1 Delta in the the National Championship final on Sunday, Nov. 14.
Thursday, Nov. 11
The No. 6 seed Roadrunner Women's Soccer team suffered a tough 3-1 loss to No. 3 seed Mohawk Valley in the D-III National Championship Tournament in Batavia, NY Thursday.
RCSJ freshman Crystal Johnson gave the Runners a 1-0 lead that held up until midway through the second half when the Mohawk Valley offense erupted for three goals. Jazmyn Gillette scored two of the late goals while teammate Reilly Rich added another score to spark the Mohawk Valley rally.
Overall, the Hawks dominated offensively with 17 shots on goal, with the Runners managing just one shot.
The Runners will next play No. 7 Suffolk in a 1:30 pm start Friday.
Tournament Preview
Ready and definitely capable of advancing far -- but how far they advance will entirely rest on the players' shoulders, said Coach Megan Ruttler, whose women's soccer team preps for their opening round match in Thursday's NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
That assessment is right to the point and a clear message to her players, noted Ruttler, who has plenty coaching at this level of competition.
"Everyone here is talented and we all deserve to be here," said Ruttler, whose program enters their eighth National Championship Tourney in the past 12 years. "But the bottom line is this -- you can't have letdowns here at Nationals if you want to hang around for awhile.
"We certainly have very talented and dedicated athletes, but now we need to take a step to the next level."
Link to watch games live: www.njcaa.org/network
The Runners, who have a 12-2 overall record, advanced on October 29th when freshman Crystal Johnson netted the winning goal in the second overtime as RCSJ edged visiting Union CC, 2-1 to win the District East B title and earn a berth to the National Tournament at Genessee Community College in Batavia, NY.
Ruttler's team earned the No. 6 overall seed and will square off against a very talented No. 3 Mohawk Valley CC team on Thursday, Nov. 11, in a 6:30 pm start. The winner advances to play the winner of No. 1 Delta CC vs. No. 8 Massasolt.
Ruttler knows the quality of the Mohawk Valley program. Ironically, the two teams last met in the National Championship finals in 2021, with the Hawks emerging as D III champs despite the Runners outshooting the winner by a 20-9 margin.
"They have a great program, so we obviously know what we're up against," said Ruttler. "The teams are a lot alike, but again, there can't be letdowns. Mohawk Valley has been in many big games in the past and they know how to win at this level."
Standout athletes for the Runners, who saw five players earn All-Region 19 honors, include midfielder Crystal Johnson, forward Bailey Swietanski, goalkeeper Grace Vit, and back Keri Leach. In addition, Ruttler will welcome back sophomore midfielder Miranda Uzadavines, who is coming off the injury list.
Watch here for live results and updates.
NJCAA Division III National Championships
@ Genesee Community College / Batavia, NY
Nov. 11-14, 2021
Click Here for complete tournament brackets
Follow all games here on NJCAA Network
Follow Live Results Here
Schedule of Games
Thursday, November 11
No. 8 Massasoit vs. No. 1 Delta
Delta 8, Massasoit 0
No. 5 Brookdale vs. No. 4 Genessee
Brookdale 1, Genessee 1, 2 OT
No. 7 Suffolk County vs. No. 2 Brookhaven
Brookhaven 8, Suffolk 0
No. 6 RCSJ Gloucester vs. No. 3 Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley 3, RCSJ Gloucester 1
Friday, November 12
Consolations
No. 8 Massasoit vs. No. 4 Genesee
Genesee 3, Massasoit 0
No. 7 Suffolk County vs. No. 6 RCSJ Gloucester
Suffolk County 1, RCSJ Gloucester 1 OT
Semifinals
No. 5 Brookdale vs. No. 1 Delta
Delta 3, Brookdale 0
6:30 pm
No. 3 Mohawk Valley vs. No. 2 Brookhaven
Brookhaven 3, Mohawk Valley 1
Sunday, November 14
NJCAA Division III National Championship
1:00 pm
No. 2 Brookhaven vs. No. 1 Delta