OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. --The University of Bridgeport women's soccer team won its first East Coast Conference tournament championship with a 3-0 win over Dowling on Sunday afternoon in a match played on Presidents Field on the campus of New York Tech. The win also gives the Purple Knights an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II women's tournament, which will begin next week. This year's trip will be UB third straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

Freshman Asia Pulse, of New Haven, got the Purple Knights (16-1-3) on the board first when she scored her seventh goal of the season off a cross from junior Elin Svsvarsdottir at the 26:34 mark.

The match entered the second half with the Purple Knights holding a 1-0 lead before Bridgeport junior Linda Velaj, of Stamford, added an insurance goal at the 65:17 mark when she hit the back of net of an assist from sophomore Katie Stanley. The goal was Velaj's ninth of the season.

Freshman Becky Wallis salted the game away with her second goal of the season with just over five minutes left.

Junior goalkeeper Emeile Karstrom, who was named the tournament's most outstanding player, made seven saves to notch back-to-back clean sheets, after blanking Queens 2-0 in the semifinals.

The Purple Knights will learn their NCAA opponent tonight when the pairings are announced at 7 p.m.۩


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