Box Score

MILTON, Mass. -- First-year forward Sarah Richardson scored three times, including the game-winning goal with just over five minutes remaining, to lift the University of New England to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Curry College in a quarterfinal-round game of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship.

The fourth-seeded Nor'easters (14-5) advance to the semifinal round and will travel to top-seeded Keene State College (16-7) on Saturday.  Game time will be announced Thursday.

Richardson wasted no time in starting her hat-trick, converting a pass from sophomore Kristin Meza with just 41 seconds elapsed.  She would score an unassisted goal in the eighth minute, giving UNE a 2-0 lead it would take into halftime.

Shut down until midway in the second half, Curry cut its deficit in half when Laura Lydon scored in the 65th minute.

The Colonels evened the match at 84:10 on a goal by Brooke DeLuca, but Richardson countered 36 seconds later for the game-winner to finish off her first collegiate hat-trick and UNE's third of the season.

Junior Leigh Engel made six saves for the Nor'easters, whose 14 wins are the most since they recorded that same total in 1997.

Curry (11-6-3) received six stops from Nicole Hayward.