TROY, NY – Senior forward Jennifer Mansfield scored midway through the first half to lead No. 4 seed Union women's soccer (15-2) to a 1-0 win against No. 1 seed Rensselaer (11-7) in a Liberty League Semifinal contest at ECAV Stadium.
 
Union advances to take on No. 2 seed William Smith on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Geneva, NY. William Smith advanced to the final after a 1-1 (4-2) shootout win over No. 3 seed RIT.
 
The Dutchwomen will be making their first appearance in the Liberty League Championship game since Nov. 4, 2009, when Union lost 2-0 at William Smith.
 
Mansfield scored her team leading 11th goal of the season in the 20th minute to give the Dutchwomen the decisive goal in the contest.
 
A long throw by junior defender Caroline Gorka deflected off an RPI defender towards the middle of the box. Mansfield fired a half volley past a leaping Steph Vargas to give Union a 1-0 lead at 19:56.
 
RPI responded with its best chance of the first half just five minutes later, but Taylor Korytko's header off a corner kick bounced wide of the net in the 25th minute.
 
Union nearly made it 2-0 before the end of the half, as sophomore forward Mollie Gilchrist made a nice move to create space for a shot from 18 yards out. But RPI goalkeeper Steph Vargas made a lunging save to keep the Engineers within striking distance entering the break.
 
The Dutchwomen once again had a great chance to increase their lead early in the second half. Sophomore midfielder Whitney Bickford took a shot from 20 yards that hit off the crossbar in the 57th minute.
 
Late in the second half, with Union protecting its one-goal lead, RPI nearly evened the contest in the 83rd minute, but Nikki Goodsell's header was smothered by Union goalkeeper Kayla Marti (two saves), and the Engineers would not threaten the rest of the way.
 
For the game, Union had 10 total shots to 8 for RPI, while RPI's Vargas and Union's Marti each made two saves in net.