Box Score Brooklyn, NY---The Brooklyn College Women's Soccer team capped off a historic run, during only their second year as a program, the Bulldogs defeated the #1 seeded College of Staten Island, 3-1, to capture Brooklyn's first CUNYAC Championship and earn an berth in the upcoming NCAA Division III Tournament.

This magical ride started in 2012 when Brooklyn College President Karen Gould and Director of Athletics Bruce Filosa collaborated on starting up the women's soccer program in conjunction with the opening of the new Brooklyn College Field. Brooklyn College Athletics conducted a national search for a head coach to guide the team, and hired Patrick Horne, an experienced leader with college coaching experience on the Junior College, Division III and Division II ranks with both men and women.

Coach Horne immediately looked toward recruiting and a rigorous fitness regimen as a way to make his team competitive immediately, and although their first season in 2012 saw many rocky moments, the team managed a very respectable 6-7-1 record.

Moving to 2013, with a full year to recruit and a crop of returning players to help lead the newcomers, the team excelled, and entering today's CUNYAC Final, amassed a 14-3 record, and finished as the #2 seed heading into the CUNYAC Tournament.

Two of those losses this year came to CSI. The team also dropped their two games with the Dolphins a year ago, during Brooklyn's first season of competition, including an excruciating 14-4 loss at home. Today, however, playing on the biggest stage and back in front of their home crowd, the Bulldogs would not be denied as they got one first half goals, and two in the second, for the 3-1 victory.

"Today's performance shows how far we've come as a team over this season," said Brooklyn College Head Coach Patrick Horne. "We worked hard each game and practice and today was a culmination of our hard work, as we beat a team that defeated us twice during the season to win the CUNYAC Championship."

There were many contributors to today's victory, beginning with Bergelie Louis, who got Brooklyn on the board in the game's 13th minute, breaking through the CSI defense and touching the ball past the Dolphin keeper, Victoria Donegan, who came out aggressively.

Staten Island would answer with a score of their own, just six minutes later, as Samantha Wysokowski headed a corner kick from Melissa Gelardi, which hit the crossbar, dropping right in front of the goal for Demi-Jean Martorano, who nailed it home to knot the score at one.

While each team had opportunities, both defenses would hold tight for the remainder of the half, and the teams would go into the break with the score tied at one.

Much of the start of half number two would be the same, until the 51st minute of play when Sayla Flores would set up Jordan Kerwin, who would score on a beautiful left footed kick to give BC their second lead of the game at 2-1.

Then in the 71st minute of play, with CSI pressing to try and even the game, Flores was able to create once more, this time finding a streaking Shani Abrahams, who was able to explode by a Dolphin defender and send a beautiful shot past Donegan, to balloon the Bulldog advantage to 3-1, and virtually seal the victory.

Staten Island would have one more serious scoring opportunity on a header by Mortorano late, but the shot would be just to the left of the goal.

Freshman Jasmine Fermin, who has anchored the Brooklyn defense all season, earned praise from all as well as she was outstanding once again, and a big reason why the always-dangerous Dolphin offense was limited to one goal.

Flores, who notched two assists on the day, would be named the game's MVP. "Playing with your head and never giving up will take you to the top," said Flores. "That is what we all did today and what we will continue to do as a team."

"Once again, just as we did against CCNY, we finished when we got opportunities today, which had been one of our shortcomings, but we stepped up today," said Coach Horne. "Our team is always looking forward to the next challenge. Our first it was to make the CUNYAC Tournament, then the goal was to win the Championship, and now our challenge will be to try and become the first women's team in conference history to win an NCAA Tournament game and advance to the second round."

Junior defender Janet Rodriguez, one of the original members of the team, praised her teammates, saying, "Today's win is due to teamwork and shown by my teammates each and every day in practice. This win makes all the physical and mental challenges to this point well worth it. It's a dream come true to compete against top schools in the NCAA Tournament, and I'm confident my team will play exaclty the same as we did today, with heart and like Bulldogs!"

Rodriguez and her Bulldogs will find out who their opponent will be in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, November 11th at 1:30 pm when the Selection Show airs. For those who would like to watch live, you can find the link HERE.