(Garden City, NY) The Nassau Women's Soccer Team took on Holyoke Community College in the NJCAA District Championship this weekend. Under the lights of Mitchell Field, the Lions came out determined, and ready to play - the NJCAA Division III National Tournament was on the line.

The possessions between teams were relatively even from the start. The Lions had a few solid shots on goal, but weren't able to find the back of the net. Tamara Nicholson of Holyoke got the ball mid-field, and drove to the goal, which narrowly squeaked past the Nassau goalie. That lit a fire under the Lions. Only a few minutes later, Kayla Murphy stormed toward the Holyoke goal, and blasted the ball to find a gap and capture Nassau's first goal, tying the game 1-1. 

The second half was a nail biter. Nassau held Holyoke off for a while, until their top scorer all season, Cassidy Snyder, managed a clean breakaway, and scored their second goal. But there was still time. NCC kept fighting, and held onto the ball for close to the entire rest of the half. The Nassau coaches decided to move Hannah Woodward, who typically plays the wing, and move her up to striker. Within less than a minute, Woodward gained control of the ball and raced down the field. She took a power kick to the back corner, and just like that the game was tied just like that.

The rest of the half remained scoreless, and as time expired, the Lions prepared for overtime. After a grueling back and forth between the Lions and Cougars, they were still tied - meaning penalty kicks. Holyoke kicked first. They shot, but weren't able to get it past Nassau's Bridget Treissl. Woodward kicked for the Lions, but wasn't able to find the net. Back to Holyoke, who shot just a touch too high. Brianna Polidora took the spotlight for NCC. She shot to the back corner of the net, and snagged the goal, bringing the Lions 1-0. Holyoke shot again, but missed just outside the frame. Kayla Murphy took the lefties approach and smashed the ball into the back of the net. The penalty kicks were now 2-0. Holyoke was up again, and this time they made it. Diana Lemus shot for the Lions, and unfortunately just missed the net. Holyoke was able to sneak in another goal on their 5th shooter, making the score now 2-2. Haley Schmidt stepped up. She knew they needed this to win the game. Schmidt took a long swing back, and booted the ball toward the goal. The ball found just the right spot and the Lions cashed their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament in Dryden, NY on November 9th.