(Dover, Del.) – Friday evening, the Delaware State women's soccer team (5-12-1) came away with a 1-0 victory over the South Carolina State Bulldogs in day one of the Independent Conference Tournament to advance to Sunday's championship game (2 p.m.) against the NJIT Highlanders.

Earlier in the day, the Highlanders defeated Francis Marion in a thriller determined by a shootout, 2-1.

The nightcap, meanwhile, was scoreless throughout the opening period, until DSU broke through during the 31st minute by way of forward Julia Bossert making a pass from the bottom right wing in SCSU territory, resulting in forward Taylor Addison (2) connecting for the goal.

At the break, the Hornets controlled the pace in the opening stanza, totaling eight shots with four placed on-goal.  The Bulldogs, meanwhile, were stifled by the Hornet defense managing just two attempts.

In the second period, on the other hand, the Bulldogs picked up their pace tallying seven shots, including four on-goal.  However, the Hornets were able to keep SCSU out of the scoring column to secure their second straight shutout victory.  Additionally, DSU avenged a 2-1 loss suffered at the hands of the Bulldogs last week on the road.

When the final buzzer sounded, Delaware State recorded a season-high 16 shots, led by Bossert's four.  Freshmen Paige Wilcox, Emma Cain and Franny Farella also chipped in with three each.  In the net, DSU's Katelyn Koslosky finished with four saves, while her counterpart Haley Austin collected five.    

Coming up, the Columbia Blue & Red will look to rebound in Sunday's championship contest from a 2-1 loss at NJIT on Oct. 10.  In that match, it featured a combined 29 fouls, in addition to five yellow cards.   Francis Marion and SCSU will compete for the consolation prize at 11 a.m.