READING, Pa. – The No. 4 Albright women's soccer team picked up a thrilling 2-1 first round playoff win over No. 5 Stevenson in front of an energetic crowd at Shirk Stadium on Tuesday evening.
 
With the win, the Lions improve to 10-7-2 overall and will advance to the semifinal round of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 4, as they travel to the No. 1 Messiah. Meanwhile, the Mustangs conclude their 2021 season 5-9-5 overall and 3-4-1 in conference play.
 
Both teams displayed true grit as they battled back and forth in the first half, only getting five shots off between the two teams. Albright got two shots off in the first four minutes of action but failed to place them on net. Stevenson had their first opportunity in the eighth minute but the ball soared high over the goal. The Mustangs put first-year goalkeeper McKenna LeVan to the test in the 36^th minute with the first shot on goal, but LeVan kept the game scoreless. With just 19 seconds left in the first half, senior Carleigh Molinaro finally broke through for the Lions. Molinaro was able to capitalize on a scramble in front of the net to give Albright a 1-0 lead entering the break.
 
The Lions applied early pressure coming out of the half as they earned a corner just 16 seconds into the second stanza but were unable to get a shot off. First-year Alexis Baez had an opportunity to score in the 53^rd minute but Mustang goalkeeper Keegan Caffrey made a big save. Stevenson responded with back-to-back shots, but LeVan shut them down to keep the Mustangs off the board. Senior Gabrielle Rhoads gave Albright a two-goal lead in the 63^rd minute when she found the back of the net on another scramble in front of the goal after the Lions earned a corner. Stevenson's best look on net came in the 71^st minute when they fired off a shot towards the far side of the goal, but LeVan came up big as she dove and knocked the ball out of play. Stevenson put forth a strong performance in the closing minutes of action as they scored with just one-minute left to play, cutting their deficit to 2-1. The Mustangs late efforts would not be enough, however, as the Lions claimed the 2-1 victory.
 
The shots were almost even, but Albright held a slight 10-9 shot advantage and a 6-5 shot on goal advantage. LeVan earns the win for the Lions with four saves in 90 minutes of action. Caffrey receives the loss for the Mustangs with three saves in the full amount of action.
 
No. 4 Albright will travel to the No. 1 Messiah on Thursday at 7 p.m. for the semifinal round of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.