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(Lock
Haven, Pa.) - The Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
women’s soccer team (16-3, 10-1 PSAC) will challenge Bloomsburg University of
Pennsylvania (15-2-1, 9-2 PSAC) for the 2001 Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference Women’s Soccer Championship on Sunday, November 4, on Lock
Haven’s McCollum Field. The game
is set for a 1 p.m. start. Lock Haven, the regular season champion and top
seed, advanced to the post-season tournament finals by defeating No. 4-seed
Indiana (Pa.) University, 4-0, on Wednesday.
Second seeded Bloomsburg earned the spot in the finals after scoring the
1-0 victory over No. 3-seed Edinboro University on Wednesday afternoon.
Both teams will be making their fifth appearance
in the PSAC title game, and it is the third time and second consecutive season
that Lock Haven and Bloomsburg have battled each other for the crown.
Lock Haven captured the championship last season, 3-2, in a grueling
four-overtime session, while Bloomsburg was the winner in head-to-head
championship competition in 1996, also by a 3-2 score.
The Lady Eagles will be looking for their third-straight PSAC title
after winning in 1999 and 2000, while the Huskies will also be in search of a
third crown, winning in 1998 and 1996.
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Sophomore midfielder Naomi Clarke
scored the Haven's first goal in a
4-0 victory over IUP in the PSAC Semifinal match-up on Wednesday.
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Lock Haven:
The two-time defending PSAC champion Lady Eagles under the guidance of
first-year Head Coach Doug Moore head into this weekend’s competition
with a 16-3 overall mark. Lock
Haven is ranked 12th in the nation and first in the Northeast
Region.
After
posting four goals in the semifinal match-up against Indiana (Pa.), the LHU
offense puts a PSAC-leading average of 3.63 points on board each game.
The one-two punch of junior forward Katie Taylor (Hammonton,
N.J./Edgewood) and sophomore midfielder Naomi Clarke (Cambridge, New
Zealand/St. Peter’s School) is a large contributing factor to the success
of the Lady Eagle offense. Taylor
shares the team lead in goals scored with Clarke, both netting 12 goals over
the course of the season. With 35
total points (12g, 11a), Taylor is LHU’s overall scoring leader and is among
PSAC leaders, while Clarke adds 31 points off 12 goals and seven assists.
Lock
Haven boasts impressive offensive depth, also relying on the firepower of Erin
McKasson (Irwin/Penn Trafford) (6g, 13a), Brooke Rangi (Kawerau, New
Zealand/Kawerau) (9g, 6a), Kristi Ward (Philadelphia/Nazareth Academy)
(7g, 7a), and Becky Nichols (Wind Gap/Nazareth) (5g, 3a).
Defensively,
Lock Haven allows just 0.87 goals per game, and posted its 10th
shutout of the season with the 4-0 semifinal victory. Consistent contributors
to the Lady Eagle backfield include Shannon Becker (Durham/Palisades), Adria
Vitale (Philadelphia/St. Maria Goretti), Christa Cox (Ephrata/Ephrata), Erika
Schneider (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley), and Danielle Smith
(Johnson, N.Y./Minisink Valley). Netminder
Ashley Babiarz (Philadelphia/Northeast) has earned the starting nod as
of late, recording the start in the last four contests.
After six total appearances in goal, Babiarz has a current
goals-against-average of 0.174 and four shutouts.
Bloomsburg:
The Bloomsburg University Huskies are led by fourth-year Head Coach Sandy
Dickson, and improved to 15-2-1 overall with Wednesday’s 1-0 win over
Edinboro University in the PSAC semifinal game. Bloomsburg is currently ranked
16th in the NSCAA National Division II poll and is second in the
Northeast Region.
The
Huskies are second in the PSAC in scoring offense, putting up an average of
2.94 goals per game. Pacing the
offense attack is a pair of forwards, senior Alea Balthaser
(Hamburg/Hamburg) and junior Renee Williams (Larksville/Wyoming Valley
West). The two combined to
score the game-winner against Edinboro in the semifinal game, Balthaser
assisting a goal by Williams. Balthaser
currently leads the conference averaging 2.5 points per contest (45 total
points) off of 19 goals and seven assists.
Williams is second on the squad with 13 goals and 11 assists for a total
of 37 points. Junior midfielder Rebecca
Stametz (Shamokin/Southern Columbia) (8g, 2a) adds more power to the
offensive lineup, as does Vanessa Peregrim (Toms River, N.J./Toms River
East) (2g, 3a).
The
Bloomsburg defense is also ranked second in the PSAC, outscoring opponents by a
2.29 average, and has allowed the least amount of goals (13), of any conference
team this season. Headlining the Bloomsburg backfield is PSAC-leading keeper Heather
Hartman (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley). Hartman has a 0.57 goals-against-average and a school-record
12 shutout victories. Also aiding
in the defensive efforts are Huskies Sara Cornish (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero),
Sarah Branin (Medford, N.J./Shawnee), and Danielle
Brunetti (Philadelphia/Nazareth Academy).
Earlier This
Season:
Lock Haven and Bloomsburg met earlier this season at Bloomsburg in regular
season conference action, with Lock Haven taking the 2-0 victory.
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