Ava Mosteller and Gianna Kirlin scored their first collegiate goals as the Chestnut Hill College Women's Soccer team defeated Goldey-Beacom College 4-1 in their final regular season contest.
The win secured the fifth seed for the Griffins in the upcoming Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament. The Griffins will play at #4 seed Holy Family University on Sunday November 1 at 12:00 p.m. Chestnut Hill finishes the regular season with a 6-3-2 conference record and a 6-6-4 overall mark.
Chestnut Hill's win was also the 41st win by head coach Jonathan Geist, becoming the program's all-time winningest coach, passing longtime coach Sandy Dickson who had 40 wins in eight seasons from 2011-2019.  Geist, who took over the program just prior to the team's shortened 2020 COVID season, is currently in his seventh season and has led the team to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.
Mosteller got the Griffins on the board in the first half, tying the score at 1-1 in the 24th minute. Chelsea Ritter took a free kick from left side and found Mosteller running in from the right and down the middle  before smacking the ball past Lightning goalkeeper Maria Empadinhas for her first collegiate goal and tying the game at 1-1.
Kirlin's goal was the Griffins' final score of the day, coming with about 5:30 left in the game. A cross from deep in the left corner by Jenna Gagliardi was misplayed by the Lightning goalkeeper and allowed Kirlin to easily put the ball in the net for her first goal as a collegian.
Sophomore's Abby Collins and Lorenza D'Andrea also scored for the Griffins in the first half as the visitors overcame the early 1-0 deficit to lead 3-1 at halftime.
Collins intercepted a pass out of the box from the GBC goalkeeper and launched a shot into the upper right hand corner for her team-leading fifth goal of the season and a 2-1 Chestnut Hill lead.
A little over three minutes later, D'Andrea took a corner kick from the left side which caught the lower right hand corner of the net for her fourth goal of the season and a 3-1 Griffin lead.
Haley Esposito earned the win in net, her sixth of the season, making five saves and allowing only one goal.
Goldey-Beacom tallied their only goal at the 8:47 mark of the first half, an unassisted score from Tess Pearce.
For the game, the Griffins outshot the Lightning 13-11 (8-6 on net). Both team had two corner kicks apiece.
The women's soccer team will face Holy Family University in the quarterfinal round of the CACC playoffs on Sunday, November 1.
