EWING, N.J. – It took plenty of patience, four shots off the post, and nearly 75 minutes, but the No. 1 TCNJ women's soccer team persevered through misfortune and used a lightning-quick scoring sequence to snatch a 2-0 victory over Stockton in the NJAC semifinals on Tuesday night.

Gianna Minerva broke a scoreless stalemate with a stunning goal in the 75^th minute and Ava Curtis netted her first collegiate goal just over two minutes later as the top-seeded Lions (16-0-1) advanced to Friday's championship match and a date with third-seeded Rowan, which upset second-seeded Montclair State, 1-0, on Tuesday. First touch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Lions Stadium.

TCNJ broke through just shy of 15 minutes remaining in regulation. After a ball was played into the box, a Stockton defender sent it back out and right into the path of Minerva, who one-timed a left-footed shot into the upper left corner to set off a wild celebration. About two minutes later, Amelia Curtis' corner was deflected out to younger sister Ava, and the NJAC rookie of the year roofed a right-footed blast into the top right corner to put the contest away.

The Lions' breakthrough was the well-deserved fruit of a relentless attacking effort that resulted in a 30-2 disparity in shots and 15 corner kicks. Despite the dominance, the specter of overtime still loomed late on thanks to a strong performance from Ospreys keeper Kylee Sullivan and plenty of help from the pipes.

TCNJ struck the woodwork four times before Minerva's ice-breaker. Just past the 20-minute mark, Gianna Coppola's rocket free-kick effort from 30 yards out blasted off the crossbar. Ava Curtis forced a couple saves on long-range free kicks of her own, and Emma Pascarella's volley on a cross from Sophie Vieira required a diving save from Sullivan.

TCNJ continued to pile on the pressure before the break, racking up 10 shots and seven corners, but the Ospreys(12-6-3) held firm and managed to pull into halftime in a scoreless deadlock.

Ten minutes into the second half, Julia Obst rang the left post and Vieira's follow-up effort bounded inches wide.

In the 63^rd minute, Pascarella leaned back and hit a strong shot that caromed off the crossbar and bounced straight down but was ruled no goal despite the protestations of several Lions and many in the stands. Just over a minute later, Coppola smashed another shot off the post.

Eventually, the Lions wore down their semifinal opponent and booked a championship battle with the Profs back on their home turf. TCNJ defeated Rowan, 3-1, in the teams' regular-season meeting.