#4
Franklin Pierce Looks for
RINDGE,
N.H. (November 17, 2005) –
Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 4 in the final regular season National
Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll,
hosts No. 5 West Chester (Pa.) University in quarterfinal round action
of the 2005 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championships at Sodexho
Field on Saturday at 1 p. Franklin Pierce (18-1-2) advanced by winning its tenth-straight New England Region title with a 2-0 victory over No. 15 Assumption College on Sunday. West Chester (20-1-2) has reached the quarterfinal round for the first time in program history after winning its first Northeast Region championship with a 3-0 victory over No. 10 University of New Haven on Sunday.
The
winner will advance to the NCAA Final Four, hosted by Midwestern State
University, in Wichita Falls, Texas, to face the winner of Sunday’s
quarterfinal match in Omaha, Neb., between Central Region champions and
No. 7-ranked University of Nebraska-Omaha (17-2) and Great Lakes Region
winners and 12th-ranked Grand Valley State (Mich.) University
(19-2).
The national semifinals will be played Thursday, December 1, with
the National Champion to be crowned on Saturday, December 3, in Wichita
Falls, Texas.
Franklin Pierce, seeking its 13th Final Four
appearance over the last 14 years, has never lost a postseason match at
home, posting a 30-0-1 record at home all-time, including a 21-0 home
clip in NCAA Tournament play. The Ravens are 9-0-1 all-time in
postseason play at Sodexho Field (opened last fall), including a 4-0
mark in the NCAA Tournament. Saturday marks the first ever meeting between these two programs. Franklin Pierce has plenty of history against other PSAC members, posting an 8-0 mark against programs from the Conference – 3-0 in NCAA Tournament play. The Ravens are 5-0 all-time against Lock Haven University and 3-0 against Bloomsburg University.
Franklin
Pierce is led on offense by a pair of veterans of the Republic of
Ireland women’s national team in senior All-Americans Laura
Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Sonya Hughes
(Balbriggan, Ireland). Hislop, the 2004 & 2005 Northeast-10
Conference and 2003 NSCAA/adidas Division II National Player of the
Year, leads the team and ranks second in the Conference this season with
55 points (9th in Division II) and 22 goals (11th)
to go with a Conference-best 11 assists (18th). Hughes has
added 12 goals (six match-winners) and eight assists for 32 points. While Hislop carried Franklin Pierce through most of the regular season, Hughes has picked up steam in the postseason. Hislop finished with 20 goals and eight assists for 48 points in the regular season, while Hughes has netted a team-leading six goals for 12 points in postseason play, earning NE-10 Tournament MVP honors and scoring three goals in last weekend’s New England Regional. Hughes has also led the Ravens with seven goals and 14 points in six matches against nationally ranked teams. Hislop has also shined against ranked opponents, tallying four goals and four assists for 12 points.
Junior
Alex Scavo (Toronto, Ontario/Brother Andre), a two-time
All-Conference selection, is third on the team with eight goals and an
assist for 17 points, while freshman Ann Foley (Rockland,
Mass./Rockland) has contributed four goals and six assists for
14 points in her first collegiate season.
Junior Mia Makarainen (Espoo, Finland), a two-time
All-Conference back, and freshmen Rebecca Westbury (Northbridge,
Mass./Northbridge) and Kristen Cilley (Belchertown,
Mass./Belchertown) spearhead a Ravens defense that ranks second
in the Northeast-10 with a 0.65 team goals against average and third
with 11 shutouts. Sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Mello (Londonderry,
N.H./Londonderry) ranks second in the NE-10 with a 0.58 goals
against average and third with eight shutouts. Ten of Franklin Pierce’s last 11 matches have been on Sodexho Field, including six-straight entering Saturday’s match. The Ravens are 9-0-1 in that stretch and winners of four-straight.
West
Chester brings the top defense in Division II into this weekend’s
match, having yielded just five goals for a 0.21 team goals against
average, including 18 shutouts. The Golden Rams have posted a 3-1-1
record in the five matches that they have yielded a goal this season. This
season West Chester set a school record for victories (20) and posted an
all-time high for conference wins (11), while the Golden Rams currently
own a 13-game road unbeaten streak dating back to October 23, 2004, when
they lost at Adelphi. WCU is 10-0-3 during that stretch.
Leading the WCU defensive unit are junior Casey McKinney
(Dillsburg, Pa./Northern), who was named Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Athlete of the Year, and freshman Lauren
Boyer (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), the PSAC East
Freshman of the Year. Freshman goalkeeper Hilary Smart (Enola,
Pa./Cumberland Valley), a second-team All-Conference pick has
yielded just two goals in 1,206:08 this season for a 0.15 goals against
average to go with a .944 save percentage and seven shutouts.
West Chester’s scoring breakout looks very similar to Franklin
Pierce’s as junior Julie Karchner (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) leads
the way with 45 points and 21 goals (nine match-winners) to go with
three assists. Freshman Brittany Yetter (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) has
added eight goals and a team-best five assists for 21 points, while
sophomore Danielle Gerz (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley)
has chipped in three goals and three assists for nine points. NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Tournament Saturday, November 19 Sunday, November 20 |
