FP
Women's Soccer Team to Host Quarterfinal Match
Defending Champions Face Bloomsburg (Pa.) University on
Saturday
RINDGE, N.H. (November 13, 2000) - For the third time
in four years, Franklin Pierce University
and Bloomsburg (Pa.)
University will meet in women's soccer. This time, however,
there is a lot more at stake.
The two teams face each other Saturday in Rindge (1
p.m., Crystal Field) in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA
Division II tournament. This is the third time the two programs
have met; FP
won regular-season meetings in 1997 (1-0)
and 1999 (2-0).
FP
(17-2-2) will be taking its second postseason step
toward defending their national championship. The five-time
champions opened Saturday by beating Southern Connecticut
State University, 3-1, on the road in the first round.
``We wanted to have two games at home in the tournament,
but we put ourselves in a hole during the regular season,'' FP
Coach Jeff Bailey said. ``It seems like we've come out
of it, and this is where we want to be.''
Bloomsburg (16-3-1) moved on with a 2-0 win Sunday over
Lock Haven (Pa.) University, avenging two previous losses
this year to Lock Haven.
The Ravens, ranked 10th in the NSCAA Coaches
Poll, have now won six straight games by outscoring their
opponents 29-5 in that span.
The Huskies, ranked 12th, are coached by Sandy Dickson,
who is in her third season. She has compiled a 47-10-4 record
in her three seasons, leading the team one Pennsylvania
State Athletic Conference title and the program's two NCAA
playoff appearances.
Leading the Huskies in scoring is Christine Krebs
(South Hero, Vt.), who has 20 goals and five assists. Krebs
is the program's all-time leader in goals (59) and points
(136) and had both goals in Sunday's win over Lock Haven.
Alea Balthaser (Hamburg, Pa.),
a junior forward who was named the PSAC Player of the Year
and is a three-time all-conference player, had 11 goals
and 31 points in 16 games. She missed four games during
the regular season, but returned to play Sunday.
``They're a good team, they like to play football,''
Bailey said of the Huskies. ``They're quick and, when we
played them (1999), they were fairly young.''
The Ravens are led by All-America forward Minna
Mustonen (Helsinki, Finland) and
Tanja Pihlblad (Lonsboda, Sweden), a pair of
senior who have led the team with 19 and 16 goals, respectively.
Junior midfielder Julia
Uusmalmi (Tampere, Finland) is second
on the team with 37 points, including 14 goals.
Tickets are $1 for children 12 and under, $4 for students
and $6 for adults. For more information, call 899-4087.
FP
IN NCAA Division II Tournament
1992: W, 3-2, Keene State (OT), quarterfinals;
L, 3-2, Barry (OT), semifinals.
1993: L, 3-2, Cal Poly-SLO, semifinals.
1994: W, 2-1, Mercyhurst, semifinals; W, 2-0,
Regis, championship.
1995: W, 8-0, Mercyhurst quarterfinals; W, 3-1, Sonoma
State, semifinals; W, 5-0, Barry, championship.
1996: W, 4-0, Merrimack, quarterfinals; W, 2-0, St.
Joseph's, semifinals; W, 1-0, Lynn, championship.
1997: W, N.H. College, 6-2, first round; W, 2-1,
Adelphi (OT), quarterfinals; W, 4-3, Cal.-Dominguez Hills
(OT), semifinals; W, 3-0, W.V. Wesleyan, championship.
1998: W, 4-0, AIC, first round; W, 5-0, C.W. Post,
quarterfinals; L, 4-0, Lynn, semifinals.
1999: W, 3-1, Merrimack, first round; W, 3-1, Lock
Haven, quarterfinals; W, 2-0, No. Kentucky, semifinals;
W, 3-1, Cal Poly Pomona, championship.
2000: W, 3-1, Southern Connecticut, first round;
vs. Bloomsburg, quarterfinals.