W&J nets PAC women's soccer title

Freshman midfielder Chrissy Marcius scored the game's only goal as Washington & Jefferson successfully defended its Presidents' Athletic Conference women's soccer championship by defeating host Grove City, 1-0, in the tournament final Saturday.

The Presidents (12-6-2) earned their first win at Grove City since the 2005 season and receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament for the second consecutive season. For the second year in a row, W&J won both its semifinal and championship matches on the road.

Third-seeded W&J and top-seeded GCC (11-6-3) played a scoreless first half with the Wolverines holding a 7-3 advantage in shots, while W&J held the slight edge in corner kicks, 2-1.

The Wolverines continued to hold an edge in the stat sheet in the second half, but Marcius converted on a scoring opportunity in the 60th minute for the only goal the Presidents would need.

W&J sophomore goalie Stephanie Saussol held the Wolverines off the scoreboard the rest of the way and finished with 10 saves. Saussol recorded her sixth shutout of the season.

The NCAA will release the tournament bracket Monday morning.