BRYN MAWR, Pa. -- Gettysburg junior Emma Bertrando scored in the final minute of the first half and senior goalie Jillian Caputo kicked away a potential game-tying goal with 31 seconds left to help Gettysburg pull out a 1-0 victory over host Bryn Mawr in the opening round of the Centennial Conference Championship on Tuesday.
The win sends the Bullets (11-8, 5-5 CC) into the conference semifinals for the first time since 2012. The Bullets will take on top-seeded, host, and sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins (15-2, 10-0 CC) Friday at 4 p.m. in Baltimore. The other semifinal will pit seventh-ranked Franklin & Marshall (15-2, 9-1 CC) against 12th-ranked Ursinus (11-6, 7-3 CC) at 6:30. The two winners face off for the conference championship at Homewood Field Saturday at 4 p.m.
With the loss, Bryn Mawr's (14-4, 7-3 CC) magical season comes to a close. The Owls became the first team in Bryn Mawr history - in any sport - to qualify for the Centennial Conference postseason tournament, making a remarkable turnaround from a 2-8 CC mark last year.
How It Happened…
- First Quarter: Gettysburg attacked the cage in the opening period with four shots and four penalty corners, while holding the hosts without a look of their own. Three of the Bullets' attempts were on goal, but Titus stopped all of them, including shots by Bertrando and sophomore Lauren Beccaria in the 10th minute.
- Second Quarter: The visitors continued to press the advantage in the second period, but found no way around the Bryn Mawr defense with Titus adding another stop in the 23rd minute. Caputo stonewalled the Owls' first shot on goal in the 26th minute. Gettysburg posted three penalty corners in the final three minutes of the half and the third time was the charm as Fraiman dished to Bertrando on the wing and the junior blasted a shot into the back of the goal with 56 seconds left before the break.
- Third Quarter: Bryn Mawr held Gettysburg without a shot or a penalty corner in the period. Cugini put two shots on goal in the opening minutes, but Caputo stopped both to preserve the lead.
- Fourth Quarter: The Bullets did not allow the Owls a clean look at the cage for most of the final period. Gettysburg nearly padded the lead in the 57th minute when a shot by senior Julia Soares was blocked to Fraiman, but the sophomore's ensuing shot was just wide left of the post. Bryn Mawr's best opportunity to tie the game came in the final minute. After earning a penalty corner, Cugini lined up a shot from the top of the arc and laced a rocket in the direction of the cage. Caputo kicked the ball away and the Owls were unable to regain control for another attempt.
By the Numbers
- Gettysburg finished with an 11-7 lead in shots after going into halftime with a 9-2 advantage. The Bullets led in penalty corners 8-6.
- Bertrando scored her sixth game-winning goal of the season and the 10th of her career.
- The Bullets reached 11 wins for the first time since posting 12 in 2012 – the last year the team made it to the CC semifinals.
- Gettysburg turned in its 10th one-goal decision of the season. The Bullets are 7-3 in those contests.
- The shutout marked the Orange and Blue's sixth of the campaign. That's the most since the team set a program record with 10 in 2009.