Central Connecticut Captures Third Straight NEC Women's Soccer Crown on Home Turf 4/16/2021 Click here for Box Score Click here for Highlights Click here for Championship Homepage New Britain, CT - Central Connecticut easily cleared the final hurdle on the road to Northeast Conference perfection. Protecting its home pitch, the CCSU Blue Devils ran past Long Island University, 4-0, in the NEC Championship Final on Friday, April 16. Roma McLaughlin, the NEC Midfielder of the Year, opened the scoring by connecting on a beautiful strike from the left wing in the 32nd minute. The play began as one of CCSU’s five first-half corner kicks and Zoe McGlynn sent a short pass to McLaughlin, who did the rest. “It’s funny because we actually practice them corners in training, so to pull it off is nice,” said the Irish-born McLaughlin. Friday marked the third time in her three collegiate seasons that McLaughlin and the Blue Devils were hosting the NEC title match. CCSU, which is now 7-0 in home championship matches since 1997, secured its third consecutive conference crown and the 11th NEC title in program history. “To win it at home makes it that much more special again,” said CCSU’s Mick D’Arcy, the NEC Coach of the Year. In four home matches this spring, CCSU has out-scored the opposition by an 11-1 margin. In six of CCSU’s seven victories this season, the defense has pitched a shutout. The eye-popping success has become routine in recent years. Over the past three seasons, the Blue Devils have posted a 27-1-1 record against Northeast Conference foes. The Blue Devils allowed only one LIU shot on Friday with NEC Goalkeeper of the Year Amanda McQuillan not needing to make a single save. Despite controlling the bulk of possession, Central Connecticut managed only two shots prior to McLaughlin’s icebreaker. “It took us a little while to get our rhythm in the first half. Some of our passing was as accurate as it should have been,” said D’Arcy. “We needed to be patient and wait for the opportunities to come.” The opportunities were plentiful for CCSU over the final 45:00. Kelly Brady, the NEC Rookie of the Year, doubled Central’s lead with a beautiful header off a strike from Jenna Rae Covello in the 60th minute. Taylor Smith headed home a corner kick in the 76th minute for some insurance. Then, Gia Edwards scored, off an assist from McLaughlin, for an 85th-minute exclamation point. It’s been a long, long year,” said McLaughlin. “We worked hard in the fall when we weren’t sure if we had a season coming up, but we still worked hard. That showed out here today.”