It was a back-and-forth tilt for most of the match, but third-seeded LIU Brooklyn came away with its second-straight Northeast Conference Women's Soccer Championship title with a 1-0 win in front of a crowd of 557 at No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Saint Francis (PA) on Sunday.

LIU Brooklyn graduate student Toni Smith scored the game-winner and lone goal in 87th minute on an assist from Shino Kunisawa. Kunisawa gathered a loose ball and quickly slid a pass to Smith making a run up the left.

Smith right-footed a bending shot far post that beat second team All-NEC goalkeeper Brianna Butcher to give LIU Brooklyn the go-ahead score.

Both teams played with heavy pressure for the full 90 minutes. Saint Francis (PA) took 16 shots, including nine in the second half and five total from NEC Player of the Year Tesa McKibben, while LIU Brooklyn had eight, three of which came from Kunisawa.

Blackbirds' goalkeeper Jessica Sexton was instrumental to the win, making seven saves for her second shutout of the postseason. She was named Tournament MVP for her efforts.

This was the third consecutive season the Blackbirds and Red Flash competed for the tournament title. This is now LIU Brooklyn's third NEC Championship win in program history. The Blackbirds will represent the NEC in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

LIU Brooklyn landed seven shots on goal and two corner kicks, while Saint Francis (PA) had seven shots on goals and corners.