Boxscore

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The first collegiate goal from sophomore Sonia Occhionero (Montreal, Quebec) came with 6:40 remaining in the second overtime and propelled the Manhattanville women's soccer team to a huge 2-1 (2OT) win over Wilkes in a critical Freedom Conference match on Saturday afternoon at the Ralston Athletic Fields.

The victory keeps the Valiants very much alive in the race for the Freedom Conference Tournament, as Manhattanville (3-12-1, 3-2-1 Freedom) now sits in third place in the standings and controls its own destiny with one match to go. At least one point in the team's final regular-season game against Delaware Valley College next weekend would clinch the third seed in the upcoming conference tourney.

For Occhionero, her first collegiate tally came at a perfect time for her team, as she took a pass from classmate Charlotte Hotaling (Southfield, Mich.) and fired a shot from 20 yards out that beat Wilkes keeper Samantha Rohn to her left at the 103:20 mark of the afternoon.

The goal completed a pivotal comeback for the visitors, who found themselves down by a goal just 7:44 into the match after a goal by Taryn Hallowell. The Valiants posted a 16-11 edge in total shots during regulation, but the team could not find the back of the net until the 78th minute, when sophomore Brittney Smith (Stratford, Conn.) broke through the Wilkes defense and put the ball off Rohn's hands and over the goal line for her second goal of the year.

Both teams had chances in the final 12 minutes, as senior keeper Ali Bromson (Suffield, Conn.) made a pair of saves in a 30-second span to keep Wilkes off the board again. Manhattanville nearly won the game in regulation, but Smith and then Occhionero rocketed shots off the post in quick succession in the 85th minute.

Manhattanville was outshot by Wilkes in the overtime sessions, 3-1, but Occhionero's one was the only shot that mattered in the extra time. Bromson kept the Valiants in the game once again with a pair of saves in overtime, setting the stage for Occhionero's heroics and keeping the Valiants alive in the race for the playoffs.

For the match, Manhattanville held a 17-14 overall edge in shots, while the Valiants also led in shots on goal, 9-7. Bromson came up big for the visitors once again in her third win of the year, making six saves, while Rohn made seven stops but allowed two goals to suffer the loss.

The Valiants have one more non-conference match to take care of before next weekend's regular-season finale, as the team goes on the road to take on Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday starting at 7 p.m. Wilkes (6-9-2, 2-2-2 Freedom), which currently sits in fourth place in the conference, hosts SUNY Cortland on Tuesday at 7 p.m.