Stevens Hosting First and Second Rounds of NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 10, 2011) – Stevens Institute of Technology has been selected to host the first and seconds rounds of the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship on November 12-13. Stevens will take on Westfield State University at 11 a.m. on the 12th, while Williams College and Virginia Wesleyan College square off at 1:30 p.m. The winner of each match will move onto the second round on the 13th for a 1 p.m. start.
NCAA Championship First and Second Round Schedule
Saturday, November 12 – NCAA First Round
Westfield State University (15-3-1) at Stevens (14-3-3) – 11 a.m.
Williams College (10-4-3) vs. Virginia Wesleyan College (18-3-0) – 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 13 – NCAA Second Round
Westfield State/Stevens winner vs. Williams/Virginia Wesleyan winner – 1 p.m.
In the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top-25 poll released on November 8, Virginia Wesleyan ranked 15th, Stevens 18th and Williams 20th.
** Note all games will be webcasted on empire8.tv and live stats.
General admission tickets will cost $6 for each day. For the first round games, purchased tickets are valid for both contests. Seniors and students with ID will be charged $3 and children under 13 will cost $2 for admission.
For up-to-date results and news, visit www.stevensducks.com.
Also, "like" Stevens Athletics on Facebook and follow @StevensDucks on Twitter.
Per NCAA guidelines, championship programs will not be sold at the venue. If there is a need for a program, the NCAA has advised to visit www.NCAA.com/DIIISoccer and download the PDF.
Breakdown of each team:
Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks (14-3-3 overall)
The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s soccer team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship by claiming their second-straight Empire 8 Conference title. Stevens defeated St. John Fisher College, 3-1, in the semifinal match and then dropped Nazareth College, 2-0, in the championship game in Hoboken on November 6.
The Ducks bring a 14-3-3 overall record into this weekend’s first and second rounds, and will be making their seventh NCAA appearance since 2002. This season, Stevens played five NCAA teams and held a 2-1-2 mark against those schools. All five matches played to at least one overtime period.
Offensively, the Ducks will be led by senior Kathleen Schuckers (Lincoln Park, N.J.), who was named the Empire 8 Championship Most Valuable Player and freshman Rookie of the Year Ann Heine (Sammamish, Wash.). Schuckers has handed out a team-best with 11 assists and is tied for the team-lead with eight goals. Heine has also tallied eight scores this year to go along with four assists for 20 points.
Sophomores Bridgette Barden (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Lindsay Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) are third and fourth on the team in points, respectively. Barden has six goals and two assists to her credit for 14 points, while Stoll has registered four assists and three goals for 10 points.
Stevens boasts one of the top goalkeepers in the country in senior Kaitlin McClymont (Corpus Christi, Texas). McClymont is 10th in the country with a .898 save percentage in over 1,300 minutes in net and owns an 11-2-2 record.
Williams College Ephs (10-4-3 overall)
It’s been a season of overcoming adversity for the Williams College women’s soccer program. The Ephs lost the use of their home pitch in late August when Hurricane Irene blew through Williamstown and flooded much of the Cole Field complex. Still, they endured a campaign without a home field (they used three different pitches for home games) and a barrage of season-ending injuries to finish the regular-season 10-3-1.
Williams then survived penalty kick shoot outs in both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament, earning the right to defend their four-time conference title run in the championship game. The Ephs drew first blood against rival Amherst in the title tilt, but surrendered two goals in the final 7:29 to fall 2-1.
Still, Williams earned its fifth consecutive invitation to the NCAA Tournament, along with their 13th bid overall, with a Pool C at-large berth. The Ephs enter the tournament with a 10-4-3 overall record.
The Ephs are led by senior tri-captains Brett Eisenhart (Seattle, Wash.), Nicole Stenquist (Hudson, Mass.) and Sachi Siegelman (Piedmont, Calif.). Eisenhart led Williams with 10 goals and one assists for 21 points, along the way setting the career goal-scoring record with 41. She and Siegelman, an anchor of the Ephs defensive backfield, were First-Team All-NESCAC selections. As a defensive unit, Williams has allowed only 10 goals in 17 games this season. In addition to her defensive duties, Siegelman has scored two goals.
Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins (18-3-0 overall)
The Virginia Wesleyan College women’s soccer team will be appearing in the seventh straight NCAA Tournament. The Marlins earned an at-large bid into the field of 64 after reaching the championship game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and lost to Lynchburg College, 2-1.
Virginia Wesleyan has posted an 18-3 overall record this season and has outscored opponents, 69-9. Each of the past two seasons, the Marlins have lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Marlins will be led offensively by a trio of offensive threats in juniors Jessica Edelman (Voorhees, N.J.), Breanne Ingargiola (Bayport, N.Y.) and Christina Fernandes (Tinton Falls, N.J.). Edelman paced the team with 12 goals, including five game-winners, and 14 assists for 38 points. Her 14 assists are fifth best in the country. Ingargiola is second on the Marlins with 29 points on 11 goals and seven assists, while Fernandes has posted nine goals and eight assists for 26 points. Both Ingargiola and Fernandes have three game-winning goals to their credit.
Defensively, Virginia Wesleyan is one of the toughest teams to score on in the country, ranking 12th among Division III schools with a 0.42 goals-against average and has posted 14 shutouts. In goal, the Marlins will count on sophomore Erica Keil (Wayne, N.J.) who boats a 13-2 record with a .879 save percentage. Keil is 17th in the nation with a 0.47 GAA.
Westfield State University Owls (15-3-1 overall)
The Westfield State University women’s soccer team is participating in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. The Owls enter postseason play with a 15-3-1 record after defeating rival Worcester State University, 1-0, in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) championship game. The 15 victories this season are the second most in school history.
The Owls own victories over NCAA tournament teams Springfield College, 1-0, and Eastern Connecticut, 2-1, along with a 1-0 loss to Skidmore College, which received an NCAA at-large bid.
Westfield is led in scoring by a trio of junior forwards: Kayley Miller (Ludlow, Mass.), Leann Rivard (Chicopee, Mass.) and Brittanie McGregor (Ludlow, Mass.). Miller, who was named the MASCAC tournament Most Valuable Player, has scored 39 points (15 goals, 9 assists), the second most in a season in school history. Rivard has tallied 31 points, tying a school record for most assists in a season with 15. McGregor has played particularly well the second half of the season and enters the NCAA tournament with 29 points (12 goals, 5 assists).
Freshman starters Ashleigh Chretien (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Sarah Sypek (Westhampton, Mass.) have played significant roles in the Owls’ success. Chretien has 20 points (6 goals, 8 assists) and Sypek is one of the top defenders in the MASCAC.
Solidifying the Westfield defense that has allowed 18 goals in 19 games are senior defenders Heather Dragon (Westhampton, Mass.), Kate Wye (Blackstone, Mass.) and Madison Farrell (Dedham, Mass.). The Owls have a pair of capable goalies in sophomore Jess Habif (Holliston, Mass.) and Nicky Stasz (Easthampton, Mass.). Habif owns an 11-1-1 record with a 0.79 goals against average.
Past NCAA Champions
2010 – Hardin-Simmons
2009 – Messiah
2008 – Messiah
2007 – Wheaton (Ill.)
2006 – Wheaton (Ill.)
2005 – Messiah