Ithaca Set To Host 2014 Women's Soccer Playoffs

Ithaca Set To Host 2014 Women's Soccer Playoffs

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E8 Tournament History

The Ithaca College women's soccer team will host the Empire 8 playoffs this weekend at Carp Wood Field. Both semifinal games will be played on Friday, with the E8 championship game taking place on Saturday. This marks the third-straight year and the fourth time in the past six seasons that Ithaca has hosted the conference tournament. The winner of the tournament will earn automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championships later this month.

Beginning at 11 a.m., Friday's first semifinal game will feature top-seeded Ithaca and fourth-seeded St. John Fisher. The second semifinal contest will start at 1:30 p.m., and will feature second-seeded Nazareth and third-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology. The winner of both games will face off at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Carp Wood Field.

*Admission each day is $4 for adults and $2 for students, children and senior citizens. Admission is free for all Ithaca College students, faculty and staff with campus ID, courtesy of Ithaca College Athletics. 

Participants
No. 1 Ithaca (13-3-0, 7-1-0 E8) - Rosters - Schedule - Statistics

No. 2 Nazareth (13-3-2, 7-1-0 E8) - Rosters - Schedule - Statistics

No. 3 Stevens (11-6-0, 6-2-0 E8) - Rosters - Schedule - Statistics

No. 4 St. John Fisher (6-11-1, 4-4-0 E8) - Rosters - Schedule - Statistics

First Semifinal Game: Ithaca vs. St. John Fisher | Live Stats | Live Audio (VIC)
The top seeded Bombers come into the playoffs with a 13-3-0 overall record, including a record of 7-1-0 in the Empire 8. They are led offensively by junior Kelsey King, who paces Ithaca with 12 goals and 29 points. Sophomore Holly Niemiec ranks second on the team with 13 points, coming on three goals and seven assists. The Bombers and goalkeeper Beth Coppolecchia lead the conference in nearly every defensive category, including opponent scoring average (.56) and fewest goals allowed (9). Ithaca is ranked second in the East Region and has been consistently ranked in the NSCAA top-20.

Fisher rounds out the E8 tournament participants, coming in as the fourth seed. The Cardinals finished the season with a 6-11-1 overall record, with a mark of 4-4-0 in conference play. Taryn Guinta leads Fisher with six goals and 14 points, while Carly Finn ranks first with six assists. Goalkeeper Brooke Seavitt earned a record of a 6-11-1 for Fisher this season, leading the Cardinals in goals-against-average (1.52) and save percentage (.789).

In their last meeting, Ithaca defeated St. John Fisher on Oct. 18, dropping the Cardinals by a score of 2-0 at Growney Stadium. Sophomore Megan Nash scored both goals for the Bombers, marking her first career multi-goal game. Goalkeeper Beth Coppolecchia stopped all four shots she faced for her eighth shutout of the season.

Second Semifinal Game: Nazareth vs. Stevens | Live Stats | Live Audio (WICB)
Second-seeded Nazareth finished the season with a record of 13-3-2, including a record of 7-1-0 in Empire 8 play. Nazareth has earned at least a share of the Empire 8 championship nine times since 1999, including a co-championship with Ithaca in 2012. The Bombers defeated the Golden Flyers by a score of 3-1 in last year's championship game. Christine Belding and Briana Vibbard are tied for the team lead with seven goals, while Michaela Soules ranks first on the roster in points (20) and assists (10). Allison Dobles has seen the majority of the time in net for Nazareth, finishing the year with a record of 11-2-2. She also paces the team with a .58 goals-against-average and a .869 save percentage. 

Stevens, the third-seed in the E8 tournament, finished the year with a record of 11-6-0 overall and a conference record of 6-2-0. Stevens has two conference championships in the last four seasons, winning in 2011 and 2010. Raba Nassif leads the Ducks and ranks second in the E8 with 15 goals and 33 points. Ann Heine paces the Ducks with six assists. Goalkeeper Lindsey Mahnken leads Stevens with 11 wins and a .855 save percentage. 

In their last meeting, Briana Vibbard scored the only goal of the contest just 88 seconds in, giving Nazareth the 1-0 win on Oct. 18. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Stevens. Goalkeeper Allison Dobles was credited with the win for Nazareth after stopping all three shots she faced. Lindsey Mahnken took the loss for Stevens after making two saves on three shots. 

Championship Game: TBD vs. TBD | Live Stats | Live Audio (VIC)

Twitter Handles
@Empire8
@BomberSports
@StevensDucks
@NazAthletics
@FisherAthletics

Weekend Program