Women's Soccer Suffers Setback against King's in HVIAC Semifinals

RANDALL'S ISLAND, N.Y. – A second-half offensive eruption helped King's (N.Y.) defeat St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) 5-0 in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) women's soccer semifinals Sunday afternoon at Randall's Island Field 10.

Genesis Castrellon and Aleena Cruz both tallied two goals apiece, while Caitlin Essex netted a goal and dished three assists for the Lions (8-4, 3-1 HVIAC) as they move on to face Albany Pharmacy in the finals next Sunday.

Pamela Chernyakhovsky (Brooklyn, N.Y./Leon M. Goldstein) fired a team-high three shots, while Shannon Rom (Breezy Point, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) registered two shots for the Lady Bears. Senior goalkeeper Nicole Farinella (East Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport HS) made six saves in a losing cause.

It remained scoreless for most of the first half, but then King's got on the board when Castrellon found the back of the net in the 32nd minute following a turnover. The half would end with the Lions up, 1-0.

In the second half, King's exploded for four second-half scores to put the game away. The Lions would score two goals in less than two minutes of play as Castrellon and Essex would extend their lead to three goals. Cruz then added two insurance goals in the 62nd and 72nd minutes, respectively, to round out the game's scoring.

Despite the disappointing end to their playoff run, the Lady Bears (11-4, 2-2 HVIAC) have plenty to be proud of, having already reached the 10-win mark and assembling their winningest season ever.

The season is not over for St. Joseph's as they take on sibling school and future Skyline Conference rivals St. Joseph's (L.I.) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Patchogue. The game originally scheduled for Monday against John Jay has been canceled.