LEICESTER, Mass. – In New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) women's soccer postseason action, the visiting fifth-seeded Southern Vermont College Mountaineers lost to No. 4 Becker College, 3-2, Wednesday afternoon.

                The Hawks move to 9-6-3 on the year and move on to play at top-seeded Lesley University in the NECC semifinals at 8 p.m. on Friday.  Southern Vermont (11-5-2) will wait until Monday to see if it is selected to the Eastern College Athletic Conference New England Regional Tournament.

                Southern Vermont took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when junior Jocelyn Ortega (Chula Vista, Calif) fed senior captain Shawnee Webster (Hoosick, N.Y.) with a beautiful centering pass. Webster took the pass and drove it past the outstretched arms of Becker keeper Kaitlyn Rose (North Attleboro, Mass.).

               The Hawks answered back in the 22nd minute when freshman Jaclyn Orangio (Maynard, Mass.) rebounded a header from Caroline Plunkett (Belle Harbor, N.Y.), tipping into the back of the Mountaineers' net. Becker took the lead 5:13 later when a Plunkett shot trickled through the gasp of the Southern Vermont goalie, Liz Simonowicz (Chester, Mass.).

               Becker took the lead for good 36 seconds later when Jodi Theriault (Woodstock, Conn.) set up Plunkett for a breakaway goal, giving the Hawks a 3-1 advantage. The goal gave Plunkett her 55th point of the season, tying the Becker College single-season record.

               The Mountaineers made things interesting in the second stanza, cutting the Hawks' lead in half in the 63rd minute on a Kaitlyn Forant (Hardwick, Vt.) goal. Becker held its ground for the remaining 26:55 to advance to the NECC Semifinals for the second-consecutive year.

               Rose and Melissa Rhodes (Mendon, Mass.) split the game in net for Becker, turning away three shots. Simonowicz kept the Mountaineers in the game by turning away 12 shots, seven of those coming in the second half.