POTSDAM, N.Y.—Sophomore midfielder Becca DeRubertis (Brunswick, N.Y./Tamarac) scored her first collegiate goal to lift the SUNY Potsdam women's soccer team (9-6-1, 2-5-1 SUNYAC) to a 1-0 victory over the College at Brockport (7-5-3, 3-3-2) on Friday afternoon. The victory was the Bears' first over the Golden Eagles since 1994 and kept their playoff hopes alive. Potsdam senior goalkeeper Bri Thibeau (Salem, N.Y./Salem) made seven saves for her third shutout of the season.
 
The first half featured end-to-end action, but the offenses were unable to create many strong scoring chances early. Potsdam made the most of its best chance in the opening 45 minutes. At 23:36, freshman forward Olivia Seamans (Bolton Landing, N.Y./Bolton) sent a cross from the right corner to the top of the box. DeRubertis was waiting for the ball and fired it through a crowd past Golden Eagle sophomore goalie Catherine Eliasson (Salisbury Mills, N.Y./Cornwall) for a 1-0 lead. Brockport managed to get three shots on goal, but Thibeau handled them all and the score was unchanged at the break.
 
Brockport held the edge in play in the second half, but Potsdam's defense and Thibeau held. With Golden Eagles' pressure, the Bears struggled to create offense. Thibeau made four more saves in the final period, including stonewalling Brockport juniors Kaitlyn Niedermeier (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas) and Chelsea Stahl (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) in the 77th and 83rd minutes to preserve the win.
 
Eliasson finished with one save.
 
The Bears are currently tied for the sixth and final playoff spot with Oswego and Fredonia. A win or a tie plus some help will give Potsdam its first SUNYAC Playoff berth in program history.
 
The Bears complete conference play tomorrow afternoon when they host SUNY Geneseo at 1 p.m.