Box Score

North Andover, Mass. - Donna Liotine's penalty kick goal in the 46th minute of play lifted the eighth-seeded Adelphi University women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over fourth-seeded Merrimack College in the Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals on Friday. The Panthers, who became the first No. 8 seed in NE-10 history to advance to the league's title game, will travel to second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University on Sunday for the Northeast-10 Championship at 1 p.m.

The Warriors finish the season with an overall record of 11-8-1 and Adelphi improves to 11-6-3, good for the most overall wins in a season 2008.

The deciding factor in Adelphi's second straight upset victory proved to be Liotine's penalty kick goal early in the second half. A foul inside the box put Liotine on the line against Merrimack goalie Nicole Curtis and the sophomore did not disappoint as she sank her sixth goal of the season.

The goal would stand up as the game-winner, and despite several last-minute attempts by the Warriors, the Panthers held on and sophomore goalie Sam Whitney registered a five-save shutout. Curtis also stopped five shots for the hosts, while Adelphi claimed a 16-10 shot advantage and took eight corner kicks to Merrimack's two.

Both the Panthers and the Penmen (12-5-3, 8-4-3 NE-10) will make their first NE-10 championship game appearance, and Adelphi will have a chance to take home a league title for the first time since being crowned East Coast Conference Tournament Champions in 2006. The winner of Sunday's showdown will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship.

The Northeast-10 will be broadcasting the women's soccer championship final live at northeast10.tv for Sunday's 1:00 p.m. contest. Also be sure to follow the Northeast-10 on Twitter (@TheNortheast10) for live, real-time updates.

Be sure to follow the Panthers on Facebook and Twitter for up to date news with all of Adelphi Athletics!

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