What a difference a game makes. After being dominated in a first-round contest, the No. 6 seed Roadrunner Women's Soccer team turned the tables to blank No. 7 Bristol Community College by a 4-0 score Thursday in the NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Herkimer, NY. 

"We wanted to make sure our sophomores went out on a high note," said coach Maria Grady. "We just settled down and played our game. There was really no pressure in this game."

The Runners were soundly beaten by No. 3 Mohawk Valley, 7-1 in the opening round Wednesday -- but they showed up as a different team vs. Bristol CC.

After freshman Maura Smith scored a goal to give the Runners a 1-0 halftime lead, RCSJ's Melina Towlen erupted for a hat trick with three second-half goals to make it a 4-0 final.

Freshman goalkeeper Jasalene Maldonado stopped a pair of shots to pick up the shutout.

The Runners finished their season with an 11-6 overall record.

Day 1 Results 

Amber Piersma scored three goals as No. 3 Mohawk Valley raced to a commanding first half lead en route to a 7-1 triumph over the No. 6 Roadrunners in the opening round of the NJCAA Women's Soccer D III National Championship Tournament.

Mohawk Valley built an insurmountable 5-0 lead at halftime to put the game out of reach.

Siearra Stichler netted RCSJ's lone goal in the second half with an assist from teammate Kayleigh Shuff.

The Runners will play in a consolation match vs. No. 7 Bristol Community College Thursday in a 2:30 pm start.

Tournament Preview

The task at hand is a tall one, with the Roadrunner Women's Soccer team going up against an unbeaten -- and talented -- opponent in round 1 of the NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Herkimer, NY Wednesday evening.

The No. 6 seed Runners, who finished the regular season with a solid 10-5 record, will meet No. 3 seed Mohawk Valley, unbeaten at 14-0, in the opening round starting at 6:30 pm at Wehrum Stadium.

But Head Coach Maria Grady and sophomore forward Crystal Johnson both agree that the Runners will not back down.

The Runners showed their toughness in a huge way, rallying from an early deficit to defeat Union County, 3-2, to win the Region 19 championship on Oct. 29.

"We're ready for the challenge after coming off a tough region final vs. Union," said Grady. "As long as we show up ready to play, we're confident we'll do well."

Point well taken -- but with a different twist, said sophomore forward Johnson, who scored two late goals to help the team rally for the Region title.

"We'll be ready, but one thing on our side is that we never give up, even if we're behind," said Johnson. "Against Union, we kept plugging away until we got our offense rolling. We'll need to do the same thing at Nationals."

The Runners lost a tight battle to Mohawk Valley in last season's national tournament, but will present a different lineup this time around. Aside from Johnson, forward Angelina Bluford is perhaps the top offensive threat out of Region 19, while teammates Hailey Hartwyk (center back), Kayleigh Shuff (midfielder), Siearra Stichler (midfielder) and Alana Stockdill (defense) will also provide plenty of support.

Coach Grady will also have back goalkeeper Emma Baus, who was out with an injury during the Region playoffs. In her place freshman goalkeeper Jasalene Maldonado performed well to keep the Runners competitive in the Region final.

"Our goalkeeping and our defense played very well vs. Union, so we have a lot of confidence they will continue to step up against a very good Mohawk Valley team," said Grady.

The winner of RCSJ vs. Mohawk Valley will take on the winner of No. 7 Bristol Community vs. No. 2 Delta in the next round.

To view all tournament results, click on the link below:
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/2022-23/div3/national_championship/National_Championship_Results

The Roadrunners maintain a No. 8 spot in the NJCAA Division III National Rankings. Click below to view the rankings:
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/rankings/DIII/index

NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament
November 9-13, 2022
Wehrum Stadium / Herkimer, NY

First Round Results / Nov. 9 

No. 8 Anne Arundel vs. No. 1 Dallas College - Brookhaven, 11:00 am
Dallas College-Brookhaven 4, Anne Arundel 0

No. 5 Ocean County vs. No. 4 Genesee, 1:30 pm
Genesee 0, Ocean County 0, 2 OT

No. 7 Bristol Community vs. No. 2 Delta, 4 pm
Delta 13, Bristol 0 

No. 6 Roadrunners vs. No. 3 Mohawk Valley, 6:30 pm
Mohawk Valley 7, Roadrunners 1 

Second Round Schedule / Nov. 10 

No. 8 Anne Arundel vs. No. 5 Ocean County, 12 noon
No. 7 Bristol Community vs. No. 6 Roadrunners, 2:30 pm