On Saturday afternoon, Aztec MA (7-1-1) of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) secured first place in the WPSL Northeast division with a 4-0 win over the Seacoast United Phantoms (4-2-3.) The two teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier in season in Portsmouth, NH.
Aztec got goals from Dana Bergstrom, Brittany Russo, Jenna Roncararti and Maddie Evans. Aztec got on the board in the 11th minute when Bergstrom (Hofstra/Billerica, MA) collected the ball at the corner on the Phantom’s 18 yard box and drove a left footed shot over the goalkeeper’s head to the far side netting. Russo (Umass-Lowell/Danvers, MA) netted the second goal in the 34th minute. Russo won a through ball from a Phantoms defender and hit a right footed shot just out of the reach of the diving Phantoms goalkeeper.
The Aztecs kept the pressure up in the second half and capitalized off a corner kick for the third goal in the 68th minute. The initial serve was cleared from the Phantom’s 18 yard box, but Bergstrom collected the clearance and sent a cross to Roncarati (Providence College) in front of the goal. Roncarati redirected the cross past the diving Phantom’s goalkeeper. The fourth and final goal came in the 80th minute. Hillary Savoy (Northeastern University/ Winchester, MA) was fouled just outside the 18 yard box. Evans (Penn State) stepped up and skillfully bent the ball around the wall into the net. Goalkeepers Erin Quinlan (Hartford/ Saugus, MA) and Bethany Kanten (Harvard) teamed up for the fifth shutout of the season.
With the win, Aztec have secured first place in the Northeast Division. Combined with a win on Sunday, against Seacoast United Mariners, the Aztecs will secure first place and a first round bye in the WPSL Eastern Conference playoffs. Playoffs are slated to start the weekend of July 14th, with semi-finals mid-week and the Eastern Conference finals the weekend of July 21.
The winner of the WPSL East will represent the conference in the Final Four National Championship.
