COLCHESTER, Vt. - Sophomore Scarlett Brookes' (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) 51st-minute goal sent the third-seeded Saint Michael's College women's soccer team past No. 6 Bentley University, 1-0, on Sunday during a Northeast 10 Conference Championship first-round game at Duffy Field.
 
In its first home postseason game since 1989, the Purple Knights extended their school-record winning streak to eight games behind the initial postseason victory in program history. Saint Michael's received votes toward this week's United Soccer Coaches national poll and was third in the NCAA East Region rankings, and defeated Bentley by the same score the Falcons used to down the Purple Knights in a 2024 NE10 Championship quarterfinal.
 
The Purple Knights visit No. 2 Franklin Pierce University on Thursday for a 7 p.m. semifinal, their first NE10 Championship semifinal contest since the 1989 season and the second in program history.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (16-2-1), Bentley (6-7-4)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Brookes, 1 goal
• Sophomore Sarah Gormley (East Moriches, N.Y./Westhampton Beach), 1 assist
• Sophomore Delaney Kleinman (Center Moriches, N.Y./Center Moriches), 1 assist
• First-year Chloe Laizer (West Springfield, Mass./West Springfield), 0 saves

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Holly DiPalo, 0 saves

GAME FACTS

• The Purple Knights have yielded only one goal during their eight-game winning streak.
• Laizer earned her school-record ninth shutout of the season, breaking a tie with Trish Hannan '90 (1989) and Katie Escobedo '23 (2022). The nine clean sheets already tie her with Abigail Lemanski '04 for fifth in program history for a career, and Laizer's school-record 16 wins put her alone in fifth in school annals for a career.
• Brookes potted her league-leading 12th goal of the season, the most by a Purple Knight since SMC Athletic Hall of Famer and all-time leading scorer Michelle Bougor '98 tied a school record with 15 in 1996. Brookes' 29 points are tied for fourth in program history, and she extended her school record for game-winning goals in a season to six; her nine career winners are one short of Sara Pope '04 for the most by a Purple Knight since complete records became available in 1996.
• Brookes' goal was the Purple and Gold's 42nd of the season, within one of the 2001 team's school record.
• Now 27-6-5 over the past two years, Saint Michael's is 16-4-3 at home since 2023, including 6-1-1 this fall.
• The Purple Knights entered the day with losses in all 10 postseason games in program history.
• Saint Michael's held leads of 8-1 in shots and 4-2 in corner kicks. Brookes' goal came on the lone shot on goal for either team.

THE ACTION

• The Purple Knights took all four first-half shots, while sophomore back Julia Palmese (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) broke up a Bentley scoring chance with a tackle at the edge of the box in the 42nd minute.
• Immediately out of halftime, Brookes sent good looks wide right in the 47th and 50th minutes.
• In the 51st minute, Brookes broke through with the winner, touching Gormley's cross into the box with her left foot back to her right and finishing into the lower right beyond a diving DePalo. Kleinman added a helper, sending Gormley down the left sideline with an initial pass.
• Sophomore McKay Pratt took Bentley's lone shot in the 64th minute, pushing a shot high from 25 yards out.
• Laizer cleaned up a misplay by a teammate under pressure at the right side of the box in the 87th minute, coming off of her line to scoop the loose ball while junior Bridget McLoughlin (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) shielded a pursuing Falcon.
• The Purple Knights possessed in the corner for much of the final four minutes of action to salt away the clock.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Thursday at Franklin Pierce in NE10 Championship semifinal, 7 p.m.
• The Ravens were fifth in this week's NCAA East Region poll.