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(Lock
Haven, Pa.) –
The Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
women’s soccer team (18-3) will host Franklin Pierce College (21-0) in the
NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer quarterfinal round this Saturday, November
17, at 12 p.m. on McCollum Field. The
Lady Eagles, the Northeast Region champions, challenge the New England Region
winner, Franklin Pierce College, for the right to advance to the national
semifinals.
This marks LHU’s second trip to the national quarterfinal round in
three straight tournament appearances. The
last time the Lady Eagles advanced this far was in 1999, a 1-3 loss to the
eventual national champion, Franklin Pierce.
Franklin Pierce, a 2000 semifinalist, is making its tenth consecutive
showing in the national tourney, and has captured the title a total of five
times (1999, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994).
Both teams needed overtime to capture their respective regional titles.
Lock Haven and Slippery Rock battled for the Northeast Region crown
until the 99th minute, when Katie Taylor (Hammonton,
N.J./Edgewood) notched the deciding goal in the 3-2 victory.
The New England Region dual between Franklin Pierce and Merrimack went
into the 97th minute of play before FPC’s Meghan Welcome
(Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) found the back of the net for the 2-1 win.
Lock
Haven University:
The No. 8-ranked Lady Eagles return to the quarterfinals after a one-year
absence, last meeting up with Franklin Pierce in the quarterfinal round of the
1999 tournament where they dropped a 3-1 contest to the Ravens. Lock Haven,
under first year Head Coach Doug Moore, is on a six-game win streak,
including two consecutive overtime decisions in the PSAC Championship (2-1,4ot,
over Bloomsburg University) and Northeast Region final (3-2, ot, over Slippery
Rock). The Lady Eagles have had games go into extra minutes on five occasions
this season, including three in two or more overtimes, winning all five.
The LHU offense averages 3.52 points per game, outscoring opponents by a
margin of 2.57 goals per game. Headlining
the attack are All-PSAC players Katie Taylor and Naomi Clarke
(Cambridge, New Zealand/St. Peter’s School).
Taylor, a junior forward, leads Lock Haven scorers with 13 goals and 13
assists for 39 total points. Clarke,
a sophomore midfielder, has added 12 goals and eight assists over the course of
the season for a total of 32 points.
Brooke Rangi (Kawerau, New Zealand/Kawerau) and Erin McKasson
(Irwin/Penn Trafford) have also proven to be dangerous around the goal.
Rangi is third on the team in scoring with 26 points from 10 goals,
including one against Slippery Rock in the regional championship, and six
assists. McKasson follows right
behind with 25 points off of six goals and 13 assists.
Controlling the midfield along with Clarke are fellow All-PSAC honorees Becky
Nichols (Wind Gap/Nazareth) and Kristi Ward (Philadelphia/Nazareth
Academy). Nichols has 15
points from six goals and three assists, while Ward has poured in seven goals
and seven assists for 21 points.
Defensively, all-conference backs Shannon Becker (Durham/Palisades)
and Christa Cox (Ephrata/Ephrata) pilot a unit that has allowed 20 goals
all season and produced a total of 10 shutout victories. Both defenders have
also added one goal and one assist to the offensive efforts.
Haven goalkeeper Ashley Babiarz (Philadelphia/Northeast) is the
owner of a .474 goals against average after earning the starting role seven
games ago. She has 25 saves and
has four shutout wins to her credit.
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Franklin Pierce College:
The No. 1-ranked Ravens of Franklin Pierce College will be looking to make
their tenth consecutive trip to the national semifinals with a win on Saturday.
Under the guidance of sixth year Head Coach Jeff Bailey, Franklin
Pierce owns a spotless 21-0 ledger, and has yet to trail in a match all season.
The Ravens have been outscoring opponents by a 3.9 goals per game
average, and have allowed in only two first half goals all season.
Driving the Ravens’ forward push is Northeast-10 Player of the Year Patricia
Keeldar (Amsterdam, Holland/Ter Leede). Keeldar is among national leaders
with 30 goals and nine assists for a total of 69 points. Other offensive weapons include Angela Verdoes (Katwijk
Aan Zee, Holland/Ter Leede) with 16 goals and 15 assists and April Mann
(Brisbane, Australia/Saint Thomas More) with 16 goals and 13 assists.
Defensively, Franklin Pierce is piloted by conference-leading goalie Kim
Higgins (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding). Higgins
has a 0.44 goals against average along with an .828 save percentage.
Junior defenders Nicole Cheadle (West Chester/Henderson) and Anumari
Ylesmaki (Vantaa, Finland/Makelanrinne) have also played a role in staving
off opponent offenses.
The
LHU-FPC Series: The Lock
Haven-Franklin Pierce series rests on the side of the Ravens, who have taken
all four previous meetings of the two squads.
In early season action this year, Franklin Pierce defeated Lock Haven,
6-3, in Rindge, N.H.
Up
Next:
The winner of Saturday’s game will take on the winner of the #22 University
of North Florida (16-5)/#2 Christian Brothers University (20-0) contest in the
NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Semifinals on November 30.
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