No. 1 FP
to Face No. 13 Merrimack in New England Regional
Ravens to host Warriors on Saturday
in NE-10 Championship rematch
RINDGE, N.H. (November
7, 2001) - The Franklin Pierce University
(20-0) women's
soccer team, ranked No. 1 in this week's National Soccer
Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II poll,
will host No. 13 Merrimack College (19-3) in Saturday's
NCAA Division II New England Regional Championship match
at Crystal Field at 1 p.m.
Admission to Saturday's
match is $6 for adults, $4 for students and $1 for children
12 and under.
The Ravens received
a bye in the first round as the top-seed in the region,
while Merrimack needed two overtimes to defeat third-seeded
Bryant College in North Andover, Mass., this afternoon.
After Bryant took
a 2-0 lead with two goals 79-seconds apart midway throught
the first half, Merrimack chipped away with single goals
in the first and second half. Senior Rachel McCarthy netted
the gamewinner in the 111th minute of play to pull out the
win. Juniors Patty Cronin and Erin Nowak recorded the Warriors
other markers.
FP
is coming off
a 2-0 win over Merrimack in the Northeast-10 Conference
Championship match on Sunday in New Haven, Conn. The victory
was the 20th of the year for the Ravens, marking the fourth
time in the last five years and sixth time in program history
they have reached the 20-win plateau. A win on Saturday
would match the school-record for wins in a season accomplished
in 1997 and '98.
Franklin Pierce will
begin its quest for an NCAA Division II record sixth national
title on Saturday. However, just one of the Ravens five
titles have come in the last three years after they claimed
four-straight titles from 1994-97. FP
has advanced to the
NCAA semifinals nine-straight seasons entering this year's
tournament.
FP
is led on offense
by 2001 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year Patricia
Keeldar (Amsterdam, Holland/Ter Leede), who leads
the League with 67 points and 29 goals to go along with
nine assists. Juniors Angela Verdoes (Katwijk Aan
Zee, Holland/Ter Leede) and April Mann (Brisbane,
Australia/Saint Thomas More) rank right behind Keeldar
among NE-10 scoring leaders with 47 and 44 points, respectively.
Verdoes has dished a team-best 15 assists, which ranks second
in the Conference, to go along with 16 goals. Mann has added
16 goals and 12 assists, both of which rank among NE-10
leaders.
Grad student Kim
Higgins (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) leads all Northeast-10
goalkeepers with a miniscule 0.39 goals against average,
yielding just four goals in 931 minutes played. She has
posted an 11-0 record with a .846 save percentage and seven
shutouts this season.
Higgins earned NE-10
Co-Player of the Week honors on Monday after she recorded
three-straight shutouts in goal for the Ravens in NE-10
Tournament action last week. She came up particularly huge
in Sunday's Championship Match as she recorded four saves,
including a pair early to keep Merrimack off the board.
Higgins enters the NCAA Tournament boasting a string of
447 scoreless minutes.
Merrimack is led on
offense by McCarthy's 43 points on 17 goals and 11 assists,
while sophomore Lindsay Bruno has totaled 33 points (14
gls, 5 asts).
The Warriors defense
is backboned by senior Alison Skoglund, the NE-10 Goalkeeper
of the Year, who sports a 0.97 goals against average and
a Conference-best .867 save percentage with six shutouts
this season.
FP
and Merrimack
have met in NCAA Tournament play two previous times. The
Ravens claimed wins over the Warriors in 1996 (4-0) and
1999 (3-1). FP
holds a 17-2 advantage in the all-time series
and have won 14-straight meetings dating back to a 2-0 Merrimack
win in 1991.
The winner of Saturday's
NCAA New England Regional Championship will advance to face
the winner of the Northeast Regional, hosted by top-seeded
Lock Haven University this weekend. The NCAA Quarterfinal
match will be played on Saturday, November 17, at a site
to be announced on Monday. Lock Haven (17-3) will face third-seeded
Slippery Rock University (14-4) on Saturday.
2001
NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship
New England Regional
Wednesday, November 7:
#2 Merrimack 3, #3 Bryant 2 - 2OT
Saturday, November
10:
#2 Merrimack at #1 Franklin Pierce College, 1 p.m.
NCAA Quarterfinal
Saturday, November 17:
Merrimack/FP
winner vs. Slippery Rock/Lock Haven winner,
time TBA
NCAA Semifinal:
Friday, November 30
NCAA Division II
Championship:
Sunday, December 2
