LATHAM, N.Y. - The Opening Round of the 2025 United East Women's Soccer Championship took place on Wednesday with four teams in action. No. 7 Notre Dame of Maryland outlasted No. 10 Penn State Brandywine, 5-3, while No. 8 Wilson College earned a 2-1 victory in double overtime versus No. 9 Cairn University.
The quarterfinal round will commence on Saturday. Find the matchups below:
#1 Penn State Harrisburg vs. #8 Wilson College
#2 St. Mary's College vs. #7 Notre Dame of Maryland
#3 Penn College vs. #6 Penn State Abington
#4 Lancaster Bible College vs. #5 Penn State Berks
Catch all of the Championship details here: WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE
No. 7 Notre Dame of Maryland def. No. 10 Penn State Brandywine, 5-3
The Gators came out firing in the opening round, striking first in the 15th minute when Olivia Messercola found the back of the net off an assist from Alex Busick. Notre Dame’s offense caught fire shortly after, tacking on three more goals before the halftime whistle, two from Leah Acri and one from Busick, to take a commanding 4-0 lead.
Penn State Brandywine responded out of halftime, cutting into the deficit in the 51st minute as Cecilia Ballas scored off a feed from Addisyn Fluckey. The Gators quickly answered just one minute later, with Busick netting her second of the day to restore the four-goal cushion. Brandywine continued to battle, adding two more goals from Hope Priemon, including one on a penalty kick, to close the gap to 5-3, but Notre Dame’s early surge proved too much to overcome. Notre Dame of Maryland held a 15-12 edge in shots on goal, while Brandywine led 5-2 in corners. In goal, Brandywine’s Jasmin Alvarez recorded 10 saves. For the Gators, Leah Hasberry tallied six saves and Emmalee Corbin added three.
With the win, Notre Dame of Maryland advances to Saturday’s quarterfinal round where they will face St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City, MD.
No. 8 Wilson College def. No. 9 Cairn University, 2-1
Cairn jumped out to an early lead in the third minute when Abby Mellinger found the back of the net to make it 1-0. Both sides traded opportunities for the remainder of the first half, but neither could break through as the Highlanders carried the one-goal advantage into the break.
Wilson leveled the match in the 56th minute when Cairn mistakenly redirected a ball into their own net to make it 1-1. Despite several quality looks from both sides, regulation ended even, sending the contest into overtime. After a scoreless first overtime period, the Phoenix finally broke through in the 108th minute. Halley Shaffer converted the golden goal off a feed from Atiya Jackson, lifting Wilson to the 2-1 double-overtime victory.
Cairn outshot Wilson 10-8 in shots on goal, while Wilson held a 6-2 advantage in corners. Rhian Erspamer made seven saves for Cairn, and Madison Ebersole tallied nine saves in goal for Wilson. With the win, Wilson advances to face top-seeded Penn State Harrisburg in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
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The United East boasts 14 NCAA Division III full member institutions which include: Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Valley Forge, and Wilson College. For more information, please visit gounitedeast.com.