Bears Blank Anne Arundel CC in NJCAA DIII Quarterfinals
Dallas College Brookhaven's No. 1-ranked women's soccer team beat Anne Arundel Community College, 4-0, in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III quarterfinals Wednesday in Herkimer, New York.
The win sends the Bears (14-0-1) on to Friday's 11 a.m. CT semifinals against Genesee Community College (10-3-2), which will air on the NJCAA Network.
It was the 13th shutout of the season for Brookhaven, which is unbeaten in its past 31 games. The Bears have won 12 in a row. The scoreless streak for the Bears now stands at 1,080 consecutive minutes.
Brookhaven, which is vying for its first back-to-back national titles in program history after winning the championship last year, has outscored opponents, 63-2, this season.
Four different Bears scored in the quarterfinal win – Bailey Clark's goal in the 42nd minute was the gamewinner on an assist from Natalie Lopez. Lopez sent a corner kick into the box, and Clark headed it home for the 1-0 lead. Lopez added an unassisted goal in the 52nd minute, and Alexa Bezpalko tacked on another goal on a feed from Aliyana Obregon 30 seconds later to extend the lead to 3-0. Meah Perez's goal in the 80th minute on an assist from Stephanie Farias capped the scoring.
First on the scoreboard!@BCBearsDen score the first goal of the #NJCAASoccer DIII Game 1 ⚽️
— NJCAA Network (@NJCAANetwork) November 9, 2022
Don't miss out on the action!https://t.co/O3OqYV5EdR pic.twitter.com/1Zo9eRT9hm
The Bears outshot Anne Arundel, 32-3, with a 16-0 advantage in shots on goal. Riverhawks goalkeeper Kaitlin Kenney made 12 saves. Bears keeper Hayli Nichols picked up the shutout without having to face a shot.
Brookhaven had 10 corner kick set pieces to Anne Arundel's 0.
Clark's goal was her fourth of the season. It was her first gamewinning goal. Lopez's goal and assist bumped her point total to 13 this season. Perez scored a goal in the second straight game. Bezpalko's goal was her 12th of the year, tying her for the team lead.