BOX SCORE NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The University of New Haven women's soccer team won the first Northeast-10 postseason match in program history on Tuesday afternoon, downing host Merrimack by a score of 5-1 in an NE-10 Championship Quarterfinal match. Courtney Marra (New Fairfield, Conn./Immaculate) and Amber Simms (Southport, England/Southport) each recorded two goals and an assist.
 
With the win, the fifth-seeded Chargers improve to 11-4-3 overall and advance to meet top-seeded and No. 4 nationally-ranked Saint Rose on Friday, Nov. 8 in Albany. Fourth-seeded Merrimack concludes its 2013 season with a record of 10-6-2.
 
The Chargers netted the first three goals of the contest en route to their 5-1 triumph. Marisa Garcia (Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) had the first marker, followed by two from Marra and, after the Warriors' lone goal of the day, a pair of Simms capped the scoring. Simms, Garcia, and Marra each had an assist, while Monica Yanez (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) dished out two helpers.
 
Garcia struck in the 12th minute, taking a cross from Simms and burying it past Merrimack goalkeeper Nicole Curtis. The tally was her third of the season, and Simms recorded her team-leading seventh assist. Marra extended the lead to 2-0 less than four minutes later. Yanez dribbled into the box and found Garcia, who touched the ball to Marra for the finish.
 
The two-goal lead held into the 64th minute, when Marra netted her second of the afternoon. Yanez fought through a defender one-on-one and drove toward the box. She crossed the ball in the box and connected with Marra racing down the left side for her the goal.
 
In addition to her two goals today, Marra's lone regular-season marker also came at Martone-Mejail Field in the Oct. 5 meeting with the Warriors. Yanez increased her season total to 29 points with her pair of assists this afternoon.
 
Merrimack struck just 43 seconds later on a Jenna Zechner goal to make it a 3-1 Charger lead, but the New Haven offense answered in kind. In the 67th minute, Simms was the first to touch a long punt by goalkeeper Natasha Purchla (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) and put it past Curtis to reclaim the three-goal cushion.
 
Simms also capped the scoring with her team-best 13th goal of the season. This time, she took a short pass from Marra and finished low in the 80th minute to round out the eventual final score of 5-1. Simms' five-point day extends her team-leading point total to 33.
 
Purchla made six saves in net to secure her ninth win of the season.
 
In addition to the Chargers' first-ever Northeast-10 Championship win in six seasons as a member of the conference, today marked the team's first postseason win of any kind since 2005. In that season, New Haven won a NYCAC Championship Semifinal match against Bridgeport on Nov. 4 and, one week later, picked up the program's only NCAA postseason win with a victory over C.W. Post.
 
More information regarding the Friday's NE-10 Championship Semifinal at Saint Rose will be posted on NewHavenChargers.com as it is finalized.